On Tuesday, August 22, 2023, the International Internship Programme – Psychology Intensive Programme was held. In addition to being attended by two students from the Faculty of Psychology at Unpad, the event was also attended by visiting psychology students from RMIT University, Australia, at the Faculty of Psychology at Unpad. The event was opened with a speech from the Head of the Internationalization Unit, Asteria Devy Kumalasari, S.Psi., M.Sc., Ph.D., Psychologist, followed by a welcome speech from the Vice Dean I, Frederick Dermawan Purba, M.Psi., Ph.D., Psychologist. The Faculty of Psychology at Unpad warmly welcomed their presence. During their activities at Unpad, the foreign students were also introduced to Unpad and its history.

Before starting the activities on the first day, the RMIT students were invited to participate in an ice-breaking session at the Gazebo of the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences at Unpad to boost their enthusiasm. After the ice-breaking session, on their first day, they also watched the New Student Admission Parade (PRABU) Day 2 together with the new students participating in PRABU. The RMIT students also had the opportunity to visit the rectorate and take a ride on the campus shuttle (odong) during their journey around the Jatinangor Campus at Unpad. The participants were then given a 10-minute coffee break, followed by a return trip to the Faculty of Psychology for lunch and free time. After that, the activities continued with ice-breaking session #2 and a Photovoice Workshop presented by Bang Oji. The day ended with an explanation of the assignments and activities for the next two weeks.

During their two weeks at the Faculty of Psychology at Unpad, one of the most interesting activities was a visit to the Cikapundung River in Lembang, Bandung. At this location, the RMIT University Australia students and two representatives from the Faculty of Psychology at Unpad collected data through Photovoice. The results of this visit were then packaged and presented in a photovoice exhibition titled “Life by The River.” This event was held on Friday, September 1, 2023, at Plaza Batu, Faculty of Psychology, Universitas Padjadjaran. The photovoice results documented the conditions of the community and the Cikapundung River, which still showed poor quality.

During the Photovoice Exhibition session, the RMIT University Australia students and two representatives from the Faculty of Psychology at Unpad received many visits from students and lecturers at the Faculty of Psychology at Unpad. The enthusiasm for this event was very high. Many students and lecturers visited and viewed each poster, even exchanging opinions and experiences. The findings from their observations regarding the communities living around the Cikapundung River were also very interesting. They highlighted issues related to high solidarity and subjective well-being, even though the living conditions of the residents appeared inadequate and still required more maintenance.

The International Internship Program also left a positive impression on the RMIT University Australia students. They found the program enjoyable and repeatedly expressed their excitement and pleasure about the experiences they gained through this program. Through this program, they also became more familiar with Indonesian culture in general and Unpad culture in particular. Hopefully, there will be more in-depth collaborations through internationalization programs in the future! (SKN/H)*