Development Studies Professional Practicum

The Development Studies Professional Practicum (DSPP) provides an opportunity for students to gain valuable experience working in the field of international development while at the same time learning about development issues in a country that, with tens of millions of poor people and large endowments of natural resources, is central to global efforts to reduce poverty and promote sustainable development.

Although the Indonesian economy has grown strongly in recent decades and has largely recovered from the economic crisis of the late 1990s, a significant proportion of the country’s population lives below the international poverty line. At the same time, the country’s natural resources are diminishing rapidly, the quality of its basic services is poor, and its political system is characterised by corruption and exclusion notwithstanding the fact that it has undergone significant reform since the late 1990s. In short, the country faces a variety of important development challenges.

The DSPP internships offer an opportunity for students to engage with these issues while also developing important practical skills related to advocacy, awareness raising, administration, fund-raising and/or policy-making for development.

Why study in Indonesia?

What is the DSPP?

To maximise the capacity for the internships to be integrated into Australian degree structures, two study options are envisaged. These two options are based on templates currently used successfully by ACICIS.

The first option is a 6-week summer program in Jakarta to include:

• 2 weeks intensive Indonesian language classes (morning), aimed at a basic functionality;
• 2 weeks of English language lectures (afternoon) by experts on Indonesian development issues.
• A 4-week supervised internship to give students an English-speaking “headquarters experience”, with both local and international NGOs.

This option is based on the very successful ACICIS Journalism Professional Practicum in Jakarta, which was officially opened by the Australian Ambassador to Indonesia in January 2009. It attracted positive participant feedback, media coverage and commentary. The Australian Embassy strongly supported JPP, hosting an orientation session and a concluding event (at the Ambassador’s residence). We anticipate similar support for the DSPP.

A pilot program will be available for students in January 2010. Students will get a Socio/Cultural visa for the DSPP.

The second option is a semester-long option in Yogyakarta to include:

• Intensive Indonesian language classes, aimed at intermediate functionality;
• A series of regular English language lectures by International experts in the Development field;
• A 3-month supervised and assessed internship at a ‘frontline’ local community development NGO;
• A final academic, assessed report in English by the student.

Language study would be at a specialist university Language Centre and ACICIS would build the supervised internship around the many active community development NGOs in the Yogyakarta area.

It is hoped that a pilot semester will be available for students starting in August 2010.

Some important points

• The visa that students use is not a working visa. Students are in breach of their visa provisions if they undertake any kind of paid work while on the DSPP. ACICIS takes this matter very seriously and will take disciplinary measures against any student found doing this.
• Travel outside of Jakarta for business or pleasure is only allowed with the advance permission of the Project Officer. There are strict provisions attached to this and these can be read on the last page of the application forms.
• Students are advised to take a laptop with them to Indonesia, as in most cases this will help them greatly in their work placements. In some work placements it is essential.
• For the pilot program in January and February 2010 there will only be 14 places available, and these places will only be allocated to those universities who are represented on the DSPP steering committee. In following years the DSPP short course practicum will be open to everyone.
• Please be advised that Atma Jaya has a dress code which will be enforced by ACICIS. T-shirts and thongs are not appropriate.
• Students are not allowed to enter Indonesia prior to Friday 25 December 2009, due to visa requirements.
• All students must be in Jakarta to begin orientation on Thursday 31 December 2009.