AMINEF bridges cultural gaps
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
While some say that art is a universal language, the American Indonesian Exchange Foundation (AMINEF) believe that it is education that can bridge cultural differences.
"I had a wonderful time sharing knowledge and at the same time learning a different culture as a Fullbright teaching assistant here," said 23-year old Lauren Weisskirk who spent the last 11 months teaching English in a public senior high school in Yogyakarta.
Lauren, who has a degree in women's studies from Claremont McKenna College in Indiana, joined the first batch of AMINEF's Fullbright teaching assistant program aimed to provide native English speakers for Indonesia's senior high schools.
AMINEF, previously known for its Fullbright scholarships, is trying to reach Indonesian high school students by sending 13 teaching assistants this year, an increase from five in the first batch, to cities nationwide.
"More than 40 schools applied to get an assistant teacher, but we can only provide 13," AMINEF executive director Richard L. Carhart said in a recent interview, explaining that the recruited assistants came from various educational backgrounds with an additional training in teaching English.
The assistants will spend a year helping local English teachers in senior high schools in Depok, Denpasar, Sekayu (near Palembang), Balikpapan, Manado, Bandung, Madiun, Malang, Yogyakarta, Banjarmasin and Surabaya.
"Indonesian students, especially outside Jakarta, have very little chance of interacting with English native speakers," Lauren said. "This kind of experience will help them learn the language as well as the cultural context."
AMINEF, founded in 1992, at first was only administering the Fullbright program in Indonesia by sending and funding people from Indonesia to study, teach or conduct research in the United States and vice versa.
Initiated by the late U.S. senator J. William Fullbright not long after the end of World War II, the program claims to "bring a little more knowledge, reason and compassion into world affairs" by fostering exchange between North Americans and people of other nations.
"Although we had quite a drop in the number of applicants after 9/11 (terrorist attack) and the Bali bombing, we have seen it rise to normal now," Carhart said.
His office recorded about 1,000 applicants from Indonesia this year, 70 of which have been shortlisted to receive the scholarships to take post graduate studies in the U.S.
In return, 51 Americans, including the 13 assistant teachers, will study and teach in Indonesian schools and universities.
"Last year, the number of Indonesian applicants was only 800, shortlisted to 55, and there were only 42 Americans who joined the program here," he said.
All Fullbright scholars are required to return to their home country once they finish their study.
"They return home with a confident look once they got back from their study or research," Carhart said. "It comes not solely from the degree that they obtain, but from having seen the world from a different perspective." (003)