New program for alumni - Host an international scholarship student to dinner
VICTORIA’S 2009 Australian of the Year is calling for alumni to join a new host program that aims to help students from developing countries adjust to life in Australia.
Championing the University of Melbourne’s ‘Alumni Welcome to Melbourne’ pilot program, Dr Berhan Ahmed (PhD ILFR 2001) is seeking alumni willing to host an international AusAID scholarship student in their home for dinner.
The new program will help students settle into life in Melbourne, giving them the chance to understand local customs and learn about local culture.
'”Meeting with a local family and seeing a local home first hand can be a very reassuring experience,” Dr Ahmed said. “Meeting with alumni provides an additional important reference point for students as they establish their study patterns, how to access information and services, and plan their careers.”
International Services General Manager Judith Heron said students who came from very communal based cultures often found life in Melbourne very lonely, which could impact on their academic progress.
“The pilot will be an exchange of cultures and ideas, where both parties should benefit from the contact and friendship,” she said.
Leonie Boxtel, General Manager of Alumni Relations at the University, said many alumni had indicated strong interest in meeting with and helping students.
“As a student participant in a similar program in Japan myself, I know first hand what a difference these experiences can make to overseas students as they try to cope with various challenges of settling into a new lifestyle.”
The University of Melbourne currently has around 300 AusAID students- mostly postgraduate – from 27 developing countries and regions including PNG and the Pacific, South Asia, East Asia, Africa and the Middle East.
If you would like to host a University of Melbourne international student in your home for dinner and make a difference to their Melbourne experience, please contact Dallas Fisher, Alumni Relations Manager on +61 3 8344 1028 or email alumni-office@unimelb.edu.au.
Full details about the program, including a registration form can be found on the Alumni Relations webpage www.unimelb.edu.au/alumni/welcometomelbourne.