Are you the next Australian Youth Ambassador?
By Belle Hann
In the small town of Dari-Ekh in the hills of Mongolia, the children couldn't go to kindergarten. Their parents simply couldn't afford to send them any more. The local kindergarten school had to be closed down, and the nearest school was too far and too expensive for the village families.
At the local radio station where Anna Greer, Australian Youth Ambassador for Development (AYAD) volunteered, someone had an idea – 'if the children can't go to the school, why can't the school go to the children?' Radio station staff set up a series of kindergarten lessons to be broadcasted via radio, allowing a whole generation of village children to receive an education that they would otherwise be denied.
"The penny dropped," Anna said. "It's not only the United Nations or people with exceptional skills who could help the developing world. People can go in at a grass roots level and really effect positive, sustainable change."
Volunteering at a Mongolian radio station was miles away from what Anna originally planned for her life. Six months earlier, she had enrolled at university, hoping to eventually settle for a 'serious, normal job'. When a professor suggested that Anna could apply to become an Australian Youth Ambassador for Development, her response was unambiguous: "No way! Don't be crazy".
Since Anna had a background as a radio journalist and studies in health promotion, the professor believed that Anna was the perfect person to carry out Curtin University/AusAid's Partnership program in Mongolia. Her role would involve training Mongolian journalists to broadcast health issues based on the needs of their local community. Anna successfully applied and became an Australian Youth Ambassador for Development in 2002.
Living in a Mongolian shanty town without electricity or running water, she admits "it was full on ... As far as two countries go, Australia and Mongolia couldn't be more different". Despite the culture shock, Anna claims her time abroad was the experience of a lifetime. Her fellow AYADs agree. "Being an AYAD in a developing country is a rollercoaster ride that you will treasure for the rest of your life," said former AYAD Ben Cole.
Funded by AusAID, the Australian Youth Ambassador for Development program offers skilled young Australians the opportunity to volunteer in developing countries. They will assist to carry out short-term development projects across the Asia Pacific, working alongside local communities to create sustainable, long-term change. Current fields include, environment, rural development, education, governance, infrastructure, I.T, disability, sports, vocational, trade, health and gender. Assignments for Intake 18 will be announced on 8 September 2006.
To be eligible, you must be aged between 18–30, an Australian citizen, and have valuable skills in the field for which you are applying.
Living and working in a developing country can be challenging and confronting. For this reason, candidates are required to demonstrate certain qualities suited to the life of an AYAD. Ruth Daugalis, project coordinator for AYAD emphasises that a candidate's personal qualities are as important as other qualifications. "We want to see that they can be flexible and adaptable in a different community," Ruth said.
Ruth has provided Volunteer Life with a list of ideal qualities in future AYADs:
- Be open to live in and learn about the life and culture of the peoples of a particular developing country.
- Have a desire/be prepared to work for the betterment of the citizens of a developing society where the needs are many and diverse and resources are limited.
- Be prepared to make sacrifices in terms of the lifestyle, comforts and conveniences we enjoy in order to make a contribution for the long-term benefit of others.
- Be resilient, tolerant, adventurous and, above all, not self-centred.
- Be prepared to learn from feedback about your own strengths and weaknesses through the eyes of peers or counterparts from a different background and perspective.
If this sounds like you, or a young person you know, consider the Australian Youth Ambassadors for Development program. Information sessions for prospective AYADs will be held across Australia in September 2006:
- Canberra – Monday, 11 September
- Sydney – Tuesday, 12 September
- Adelaide – Tuesday, 12 September
- Brisbane – Wednesday, 13 September
- Hobart – Monday, 18 September
- Melbourne – Tuesday, 19 September
- Perth – Monday, 25 September
More information
Visit Australian Youth Ambassadors for Development or phone 1800 225 592.
The Centre for Volunteering [ABN 28 002 416 024]
Level 2, 228 Pitt Street, Sydney NSW 2000
T: 02 9261 3600 | F: 02 9261 4033 | E: info@volunteering.com.au
www.volunteering.com.au