The Indonesian program is an important part of the community at Yidarra Catholic Primary School, where students recently enjoyed celebrations for National Languages Week. 

On Wednesday 5 and Thursday 6 August, students enjoyed dance and music workshops, working with their Indonesian Dance Studio instructors to record a rendition of the Hari Merdeka Indonesian Independence Day song for the Indonesian Consulate in Perth. 

In the dance workshops, Year Three students were taught the Sumatran dance ‘Badindin’, while Year Five students learned ‘Janger’, a Balinese dance. Students also learned to play the angklung, a bamboo instrument from West Java. 

Languages Week and Harmony Day are important events at the school each year and staff as well as students are involved in activities including a whole–school Indonesian lunch and fashion parade. 

Excursions to the annual Perth Indonesian Festival and cooking lessons with Osh5One Bali Cuisine are ongoing features of the programme, while many students from Yidarra continue their Indonesian studies in secondary school years at neighbouring Corpus Christi College.

The program also benefits from strong partnerships, including with the Indonesian Catholic Community Perth who host food fairs twice a year at the school, with their sister school Santa Maria Regina in Surabaya, with the Consulate General in Perth who support regular workshops, and with Balai Bahasa Indonesia Perth. 

Balai Bahasa Indonesia Perth run the Indonesian Language Ambassador program which connects Yidarra students with young Australians who have lived and worked in Indonesia.  

This program allows students to speak with ‘ambassadors’ about lived experiences of Indonesia, inspiring students to pursue their learning and engagement with Indonesia and Indonesian culture into the future.

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