How Much Is My Human Fellow?

Social Studies done by students of Tirtamarta Junior High School-BPK Penabur, Pondok Indah Jakarta

Stube-HEMAT Yogyakarta provided assistance to social studies for grade IX students of SMPK Tirtamarta- BPK Penabur, Pondok Indah, Jakarta on October 10-12, 2018. The activities consist of field observation activities (Turba) at 6 locations and living together (Live-in) with village community in Southern Wates, Kulonprogo regency. The title of this social study is "How much is my human fellow?" Surely the reader will frown and think what the title means? Does it mean labeling our human fellow with such amount of price?

It is one thought of teachers and school pastor that most people currently tend to judge others based on their wealth while success is measured by how wealthy they are. This view is merely inappropriate because someone should be considered worth when he/she gives good impact to others. In line with this thought, Stube-HEMAT service took part in mentoring to instill this awareness to students through mentoring activities in Social Studies that give them opportunity to interact directly and to have experience of life realities in society. The mentoring activities themselves are Stube-HEMAT's characteristics and spirit because the institution focuses on mentoring young people.

Six Turba locations are: Batik Giriloyo center, Bumi Langit Institute, Helen Keller School, Wildlife Rescue Center, Omah Cangkem and Chumplung Adji. Batik groups practiced to make batik and live up to the spirit of some elderly who remain passionate continuing their lives by working as batik makers as well as preserving traditional batik motives at Batik Sungsang, Giriloyo village, Imogiri, Bantul. Bumi Langit group learned about the balance and integrity of the environment at Bumi Langit Institute, Imogiri. Here, the students take part in the 'farm tour' and recognizing the ideal natural ecosystem, how mulberry is processed into jam, how 'cantel' or sorghum is made into bread ingredients, the biogas from livestocks  dung used for cooking, the organic fertilizer, and the waste water recycle suitable to consume. Omah Cangkem group explored local culture, namely basic vocal skills and practiced to use kentongan  as instrument to compose a song at the Omah Cangkem studio, Bangunjiwo village, Sewon, Bantul. Chumplung Adji group practiced creativity in applying coconut shell pieces into useful crafts in Chumplung Adji, a handicraft studio in Guwosari, Pajangan Bantul. This handicraft studio utilizes coconut shell waste to be beneficial and it brings benefit for the local community. Helen Keller group learned to sharpen empathy and care with students of this school, an Extraordinary School that accompanies multiple disabled children. The students had a dialogue with the teachers about their passion to accompany disabled children and the spirit of the disabled children to be independent. WRC group moved towards Pengasih, Kulonprogo, precisely at the Wildlife Rescue Center (WRC), a foundation having attention and care to return animals into their characters and natural habitats. Here, students identified the characteristics of plants and tried to find these plants and recognized animals and their natural habitat.

Live-in activities gave students opportunity to stay and to do activitites for three days and two nights with twenty-six families of Wates Selatan Javanese Christian Church (GKJ), Kulonprogo, deployed in Triharjo (Wates), Depok (Panjatan), Kranggan and Sidorejo (Galur) and Jatisari (Lendah). The companion from Stube-HEMAT helped students to know their family, local environment and activities, such as planting rice, feeding chickens and harvesting eggs, drawing water, bathing livestock, making plaits, cooking, sweeping, making copra, selling coconuts, watering vegetables and planting with hydroponic media. "What a memorable experience," said the students.

Binzamin, one of the hosts in Galur and a member of the local church assembly revealed his joy of being a 'foster parent' and sharing his experiences with students who were curious to live in the village. Although brief, interaction with others through Turba and Live-in is expected to enrich the experience of Social Study participants to understand others, to reflect how useful they are to others, to foster self-awareness of life and to adapt themselves to new environment. Hopefully the process that occured becomes a part to improve oneself to be more qualified. (TRU).