Making friends is not always easy but a new initiative jointly run by the Faculty of Business, Students Services and International Services is setting about trying to help students create new friendships and better enjoy their time at university. The UTAS Community Friendship Programme began in 2009 with a six-month trial involving 20 participants from the UTAS English Language Centre as well as local students and community members who were interested in building friendships. 

Director of the program, Matthew Anning says that the program is designed to help all new students at UTAS connect with each other.

 “Quite clearly there is a perception that making friends with the locals in your new community adds to the quality of your experiences as a new student on campus.”

The program is not only for international students, but also for students from interstate or regional areas of Tasmania who come to study at UTAS away from their usual family and friends.

“It’s important that ‘new-to-town-students’ feel equal and supported and like they are part of the university community”. Mr Anning said.

“These days it is almost common knowledge that Culture Shock is a common experience for anyone who has taken the step of moving to a new location for living, work or study, so it is the aim of this program to bring everyone together and honour the diversity of students here” Mr Anning continued.

Mr Anning hopes that through this program new students can settle into their new experience without feeling like an outsider, and that local students and community members are provided with far reaching networking opportunities.

One of the aims of the program is language exchange – allowing students who are studying foreign languages to converse with international students in their native language.  The objective of the program is to connect a small group of newly arrived students at the University with locals within that community, and promote rewarding interaction amongst them.

A similar program that is already proving successful in this area is the School of Asian Languages and Studies “Language Exchange Program” that links students studying Japanese with students from Japan studying on exchange at UTAS. Program participant Saori Kaneko from Agui-cho near Nagoya in Japan says:

“After I met my language exchange partner, my life here became much more fun! I enjoyed studying English and I was also happy to help teach Japanese as well. Also I made a lot of friends at Uni…it was very very helpful because I was not ashamed to ask them about easy English questions. Now I feel that my partner is one of my best friends and we still have a good relationship not only studying but also in our free time.”

Jade Crawford-Lehman from Hobart who participated in the program in the past says:

“I like that the program offers an opportunity for Tasmanian students to connect with students from a different culture, to learn more about the world beyond Australia.”

“I think it has greatly improved my language skills. In a class there can be pressure and there is a fear of making a fool of yourself. So some people can be really reserved and not participate in conversation. But when there is only a one on one connection there is more of a relaxed atmosphere and conversation can flow easier.” continues Ms Crawford-Lehman.

Shota Suzuki from Komaki near Nagoya in Japan believes that his English skills have greatly improved by having a language exchange partner.

“I like that I can learn English and teach Japanese after class, in a stress free environment like at a coffee shop.  Also it's really good being able to talk to friends in a foreign language about everyday things like relationship issues, funny things that happen to you, what kind of movies and TV shows you like – it’s just like talking with your friends in your own country.”

But what about students who have not had access to initiatives such as the Language Exchange Program?  One such student, Ms Valerie Tan says that for her moving to Tasmania and making new friends wasn’t that difficult, but that she does realise that for some student it can be quite a challenge.

“For the first two and a half years I lived in one of the colleges, and living in the college helped me to make friends.  But sometimes, international students will stay within their comfort zone, with people they share common ground and can talk about common topics among each other.”

Ms Tan moved from Singapore to Hobart in order to study International Relations, in which she is currently completing her honours year.  In the future she plans to work in Australia before moving back to Singapore.

“Here you can be exposed to international issues, opinions and views whereas in Singapore a similar degree would be more focused on domestic issues I think.  Hobart doesn’t really have many distractions so it’s good for studying, a very nurturing environment and it gives you the opportunity to be able to study at your own pace”.

“The whole point of studying abroad is to experience another culture and I hope that in the future there will be more opportunities for local people to interact with international students”.

The Community Friendship Program at UTAS has been designed to capture the personal profiles of newcomers to the Hobart and Launceston Campuses, and to match them with profiles of carefully selected local students and community members from those areas.

“We foresee that participants will reap the rewards that come from the connections made with an open mind, offering a friendly smile, lending a welcoming hand and opening eyes to new horizons” says Mr Anning.

For further information about the program, or to get involved, send an email to:

Community.Friendship@utas.edu.au.

By Jean Somerville-Rabbit

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