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International Association for the Exchange of Students for Technical Experience TEN YEARS OF IAESTE IN AUSTRALIA Australia and we were not overwhelmed with enthusiasm. Then wondering what on There have been low times too, as we all experience in such a position, so why did we IAESTE ANNUAL REVIEW 2006 It is now almost eleven years since we were visiting friends in Canada who just happened to be the National Secretary of IAESTE Canada and his wife, and first discussed taking on the role of establishing IAESTE in Australia. It is just over ten years since Australia then became a Member of IAESTE in January 1996. It is hard to believe that a whole decade has passed since that week in Copenhagen. What has a decade of IAESTE in our country meant? In terms of the obvious benefit to individual students it has meant that 640 Australian students from universities in all our States and Territories have worked overseas (this includes 422 reserved offer students) and 275 students from 39 countries have worked here for 44 different companies and research organisations in all States and Territories. We have a National Committee with representatives from universities and industry from around the country and we have a home. By the end of 1997 we had both retired as academics but our university, Swinburne, has continued to house us as a hosted organisation. So we think we are now established here and poised to move forward. But what are our outstanding memories? Well to start with, convincing our university that applying for Membership as a Co-operating Institution was a good idea - no easy task, as we were to discover that almost nobody had heard about IAESTE in earth we had let ourselves in for as we read a copy of an Administrative Guide which we had been sent to help us prepare for our fi rst General Conference. Nevertheless we set off for this with lots of enthusiasm, four placements and no students. We returned home exhilarated by the Conference and the people we had met there and discovered our next problem. We had to fi nd students to send to the countries which had given us placements and what is more we had to fi nd them by March 31. This was not easy given that our students were still on their long summer vacation and were not going to return to university until early to mid-March. Again people were very patient with us and we eventually sent six Australian students away that year. We had also witnessed the night of fun and camaraderie that is the National Party in our fi rst year and came prepared the next year. After much wracking of our brains to fi nd an Australian costume and food, we had come with hats worn by our “swaggies” decorated with hanging corks to keep the fl ies off their faces in our hot summer and kangaroo salami as an Australian food. We have kept this theme since and it culminated this year when we brought a blow up plastic kangaroo which was much more popular than we had expected. It also had more stamina than we had expected and fi nished a night of dancing in better shape than many of the rest of us we suspect! persevere? We did so because of the highs. Having students arrive at the airport after twenty four hours of travelling to reach us, and being told that no, they did not want to rest because they were just so excited at being here, is unexpectedly rewarding. Reading the letters and e mails from students telling us what a difference IAESTE has made to their lives is wonderful. Watching the face light up of an Australian student, who came from Vietnam originally, while he was telling us how thrilled he was with his work experience and living in a dorm with students from so many other countries is wonderful. And hearing that when it was his turn to cook a typical meal from his home country, he did not cook a stir-fry, but rather an Aussie BBQ is wonderful. And the biggest high for us at a personal level is having met so many committed, caring and fun people over the last eleven Annual Conferences. That has been wonderful. We have had reinforced the idea that putting people together from all around the world to work together to help others can be a co-operative, harmonious and beneficial experience done with a lot of goodwill and good humour. That has been wonderful and we thank you all for it. Geoff and Jacki Hill President and National Secretary IAESTE Australia 16
I A E S T E — A N N U A L R E V I E W 2 0 0 6 Welcome to New Co-operating Institutions in… BULGARIA UNI GROUP – Bulgaria was accepted in IAESTE in 2005 as a Co-operating Institution, but our fi rst real experience with IAESTE was our attendance at the Annual Conference in Malta in January 2006. We are proud that UNI GROUP was given the opportunity to represent this great organisation in Bulgaria. UNI GROUP is making every effort to make IAESTE more popular in Bulgaria so that we can send and receive many participants each year, following the example of already developed Committees in such countries as UK, USA and Germany. During the last year UNI GROUP has promoted IAESTE to all Bulgarian Universities which offer technical majors. Besides that we are promoting IAESTE through other Bulgarian organisations which deal with international exchange programmes. We are currently negotiating with branches of the Technical University in Sofi a, as well as with quite a lot of Bulgarian companies which we hope will receive students in 2007. Niya Koeva and Yordan Pashov from UNI GROUP Bulgaria 2006 is our first year of exchange with countries such as Austria, Germany, Spain, Denmark, Portugal, UK, France, Belgium, Sweden, Finland and Switzerland. Participating in the Annual Conference in Malta has helped us a lot in getting to know the structure of IAESTE. It gave us the opportunity to meet in person the representatives of the other countries and to learn from their experiences. We have received a lot of helpful advice from Members who are experienced in the exchange process. We would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has offered their constant support and patience in answering all of our questions. 17
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