A Pre-Departure Briefing (PDB) for awardees who will be departing for Australia in January 2024 to commence their studies in Semester I took place on 17-18 November at Australian Corner, Central Children’s Library and was attended by eight awardees and their carers and dependents. In attendance were Mr. Dave Preston, First Secretary, Australian Embassy in Mongolia, Mr. D. Baatarsaikhan, Member of the Civil Service Council of Mongolia, Australia Awards alumni, Australian volunteers, and representatives of Mozzies Alumni Association. On behalf of Australia Awards – Mongolia, Ms. L. Enkhtuvshin, the Country Program Manager, congratulated the awardees on their success before inviting awardees to introduce themselves and their carers and family members and to talk about where they worked in Mongolia, where they would be studying in Australia and their chosen field of studies.

Mr. Dave Preston, First Secretary, Australian Embassy in Mongolia, Mr. D. Baatarsaikhan, Member of the Civil Service Council of Mongolia, made opening remarks. First, they congratulated the awardees on getting the prestigious Australia Awards Scholarship. They shared some advice with the awardees on Australian cultural differences. They encouraged them to make the best out of their stay in Australia by meeting new people and further enhancing Mongolian and Australian connections. Finally, they wished the awardees success with their studies and reminded them to return to contribute to development in Mongolia in their fields.

The first day of the PDB focused on DFAT’s information kit about living and studying in Australia. Australia Awards alumni shared their personal experiences in areas such as finding accommodation, bringing family, settling into a new environment, studying and working in Australia, and gender and disability inclusion. An additional topic on Australian sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment was introduced to awardees for prevention.

The second day was dedicated to cultural orientation and sharing experiences. Awardees were grouped into four cities where they would be living, namely, Adelaide, Canberra, Melbourne, and Sydney and gained valuable insights from Australia Awards alumni and Australian Volunteers.

The Mongolia-Australia Alumni Association (Mozzies) representative and Women’s Leadership Program alumni shared about their personal and professional experiences and how awardees, when they returned to Mongolia, could benefit from maintaining ongoing connections with Australia Awards alumni. Finally, they wished the awardees good luck with their studies and enjoy their time with their families in Australia.