Discussions on Thriving as a Resilient Community Held in Inaugural Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Month at Monash University Indonesia

BSD, 28 October 2023. Have you ever wondered how we could thrive as a resilient community? Monash University Indonesia held its inaugural Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Month or EDI Month throughout the Saturdays of October 2023, to explore the question together with students and staff by organising a month-long series of special dialogues and art competition.

The special dialogues connected students and staff with guest speakers from diverse fields such as Astari Yanuarti (journalism), Hanna Keraf (social entrepreneurship), Dr Kevin Ow Yong (finance) and Hari Kurniawan (disability rights advocacy). Every week, approximately 60 students participated in the EDI Month’s Special Dialogue.

Astari spoke of conversations related to EDI in Indonesia that are unfortunately still limited to discourses on religion, race, or ethnicity. She urged for increased efforts to push for more constructive dialogues about diversity in other areas such as, among others, gender and disabilities.

Hanna emphasised the significance of equity to mitigate the urban-rural and East-West gap in Indonesia. She gave an example of how logistic costs to send goods from East to West Indonesia can be higher than sending goods from Indonesia to Hong Kong—logistics is one key sector in need of equity.

Dr Ow Yong presented a critical view of EDI as a “buzzword” of contemporary societies around the globe. He asserted that, in the context of the financial sector, the emphasis on EDI should not override the importance of organisations’ genuine commitment to distribute resources with equity, include opposing voices in constructive dialogues and attract diverse talents.

As the incumbent Commissioner of Indonesia’s National Commission on Human Rights, Hari explained the many models of advancing equity for people with disability in Indonesia. One model which he advocated for is the human rights model which aims at making changes in the rehabilitation, equipment, access and attitude in the government and society for people with disability.

The art competition attracted approximately 10 participating students and staff. Two Policy and Management students, Jenty Siswanto and Mira Handayani, won first and third prizes, respectively. Business Innovation student, Paulus Anang, won second prize.

While Jenty uploaded a reel of her volunteering in community engagement activities, Paulus uploaded his very own artwork on disability rights and Mira uploaded a photo of diverse flowers in her garden. In their captions: (1) Jenty stressed the importance of always lifting up one another; (2) Paulus called for inclusivity in our daily lives by celebrating differences and, especially, removing barriers for people with disabilities; and (3) Mira highlighted the value of equity in diverse and inclusive environments. Dr Grace Wangge as Vice President (Engagement) assessed the art competition’s entries based on their creativity, originality, novelty, power/influence and relevance to the EDI theme.

Of the 60 student participants who participated in the EDI Month’s activities each week, only 25% of them responded to the feedback survey. As many as 86.7% responded that the dialogues advanced their understanding of EDI, and 73.3% responded that the dialogues exceeded their expectations. Additional responses included demands to make the dialogues longer and start on time due to several participants’ tight class schedule.

The EDI Month 2023 is a collaborative research-led and research-inducing event organised by Monash University Indonesia’s Engagement Committee, Education Technology and Academic Services, and Herb Feith Indonesian Engagement Centre. It also received support from the EDI Week 2023 committee in Monash University Australia through a grant of 2,000 AUD.

Click the link for more information about study programs at Monash University, Indonesia.

About Monash University Indonesia

Monash University Indonesia was established as a legal entity in Indonesia in late 2020. It is fully owned by Monash University and operating with the full support of both the Indonesian and Australian governments. The campus makes a strong and distinctive contribution to Indonesia’s social, economic and technological development.

The postgraduate and research-intensive campus offers courses in high demand areas including Master's degrees in Public Policy and Management, Business Innovation, Data Science, Cyber Security, Public Health, Urban Design, alongside PhD programs, as well as tailored executive education courses and micro-credentials.

Through the addition of this campus to our global network, Monash is cementing its position as a truly global university focused on making a positive global impact. The Indonesia campus joins a dynamic network alongside the highly successful Malaysia and Prato campuses, as well as our partnered campuses in Suzhou, China and Mumbai, India.

Monash has a proud and enduring relationship with Indonesia and has graduated more Indonesian citizens than any other foreign university. The well-established Monash Herb Feith Indonesian Engagement Centre provides a platform for developing strong relationships and collaborations. Monash also works with local Indonesian communities on key partnerships and significant research, including the Revitalising Informal Settlements and their Environments (RISE) program, the World Mosquito Program and The Citarum Program.

Monash Indonesia builds and strengthens existing ties between Australia and Indonesia, and offers staff, students, alumni and partners collaborative opportunities with a world top 50 university operating across five countries in the Asia Pacific region. We are paving new pathways for students who desire a global education and to be awarded at the conclusion of their studies with a world-class Monash University degree.

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