Finding Local Context and Its Youth

Four Students in Local Exposure Program

The important thing that is often be neglected is growing a 'sense of belonging' to the region of  young students who go to study outside their islands. This sense of belonging will raise concern and desire to do something for the region of origin, because these young students are regional assets. The study opportunities outside are valuable blessing because not every young person from the area can continue study due to economic limitations, geographical conditions and cultural influences. Managing regional assets with focus on human resources (HR) has become a concern for Stube-HEMAT Yogyakarta as human resource development institution, especially students, by giving added value with knowledge, skills and attitudes to student activists in Yogyakarta so that awareness as agents of change for their home regions grows through Local Exposure program. The last Local Exposure program was followed by four students.

Putri Nirmala Valentina Laoli, a student from Nias who studies governance studies at STPMD APMD Yogyakarta. Putri was eager to come back to Nias during her campus break to observe the traditional local weaving of Nias in Gido, her hometown. It began difficult to find such woven craft because the craft-women were mostly elderly, and young people were less interested in pursuing this skills even though actually this woven, such as bolanafo and tufo, was needed in Nias traditional events and Nias special souvenir. Putri went around the villages of Somi, Gido, and Hiliganoita, Bawolato, to find woven- crafts women, and when she met, they were very old and no one had inherited this skill. Plants used as woven fibers are Keleömö (Eleocharis dulcis), it is a type of grass that grows in swamps. The plants then are dried and flattened, then given colors and finally woven.

She met her village officials for dialogue on village programs related to the preservation of Nias traditional weaving and there has been no specific effort to do, so she suggested them to pay attention to the preservation of local cultural heritage and empower the community with profitable handicraft business. She also motivated high school students to study well and carefully choose majors in campus, and taught English for children around her house.

Marianus Yakobus Lily Lejap, a youth from Lembata, East Nusa Tenggara who study at Janabadra University (UJB) Yogyakarta majoring Informatics Engineering. Marno, Marianus' nickname, returned to his hometown and shared his skills in operating computers for village officials in Omesuri and Lamagute, Ile Ape district. The mastery on technology is needed by them because the computer facilities are ready but have not been used optimally. It is due to less ability to operate computers, while the demands of village administrative services are based on technology and computer.

It is admitted that the difficulty in arranging the course schedule comes from the rapid activities of some village officials to take care of their farms. Further, even in other areas, the distance did not dampen Mariano's enthusiasm to come and to accompany them to practice. In the process, village midwives and youth community joined the computer course to learn how to make village administration letters, compile population data, create budget tables and design powerpoints. During the interaction process, the village officials expressed their hope that local students are willing to share their knowledge and participate in village development.

Fei Anjelicha Tiladuru, student of Governance Studies at STPMD APMD Yogyakarta from Poso, Central Sulawesi, took advantage of the campus break to explore the concept and implementation of digital village in the Lamahu village, Gorontalo. The concept of digital village is interesting as a response to technology development and to improve the quality of village services to residents for computer-based correspondence and administration, complaint services and application-based health emergency and security, including increasing village income through village business units through restaurants and food stalls.

From Lamahu, Fei then looked for opportunities to implement digital village in her hometown, in Pendolo, Central Sulawesi. She met local village officials and youth organization, but the organization was not well managed and even so the activity were stagnant. As an alternative, she gathered young people independently and made informal dialogue about the reality faced by local youth about network and job opportunity, as well as building commitment to interact and exchange information.

Riskia Gusta Nita, from Pugungraharjo, East Lampung, who is studying theology at STAK Marturia,  explored the dynamics of church service and actual issues related to inter-religious relations, which is currently rife with the issue of intolerance. She remembered that in her village there was a tradition of visiting each other during religious holiday, where the local residents visit those who celebrate it, no matter whether they were Muslim, Hindu or Christian, they remained well-connected and inherited this tradition until now.

During her campus break she returned to her village and explored the tradition of visiting each other, how it started, who played a role so that this tradition remained sustainable and what are the challenges today. It is recognized that this tradition is not originally from the local village because the village originally inhabited by transmigrants from Java, Bali and Lombok so that the population is so diverse. When the relatives visit each other even though they have different religions, such tradition develops into a need of the local community to establish harmony between religious communities, as an example by the existence of Building Harmony Movement (GMK) community. When joining the tradition, Kia dialogued with local church youth about youth participation in church services and good relation between religions. This experience became kind of preparation for the future to be a pastor how to deliver church messages about inclusive manner and how to be able to realize harmonious relations between religions in the community.

The efforts of students to preserve local weaving, to share computer skills, to improve village services and the role of youth, and to preserve spirit of tolerance through the tradition of visiting each other are the fruits of student awareness for their home regions. The contextual relationship between students and problems in their areas will move their hearts and encourage them to do something useful for their place of origin. (TRU).