May 27th, 2006 will forever be remembered by every yogyakartans as one of the darkest days in history. A devastating 6.2 Richter-scale earthquake happened at 5.54 am struck 15 miles south of the city of Yogyakarta. In less than a minute, the roofs of homes caved in, many on top of sleeping inhabitants, even hotels, historical monuments and government buildings collapsed. As the panicking victims ran into the smouldered streets, many are worried with the possibility of another follow up earthquake which eventually happened repetitively at 06.10 am, 08.15 am, and 11.22 am.

A social affairs ministry official said the death toll had reached 3,505 people while thousand others are injured. As quoted from The Guardian, doctors struggled to care for the injured, hundreds of whom were lying on plastic sheets and even newspapers outside the overcrowded hospital. This natural disaster has led to continuous cases of social life disruption; mass population decline, families falling into poverty rapidly as they lose their possessions, educational stagnancy as schools closes, etc.

Being a university that practices Tri Dharma values; teaching-educating, research, and community service, Universitas Gadjah Mada opened its doors to aid yogyakartans in their post-earthquake recovery process. Students joined in “Student Community Service-Community Empowerment Learning” (SCS-CEL Program) are then appointed as the spearhead of UGM’s post-disaster relief mission focusing in Bantul District as the most damaged area. In the mission, three programs are planned simultaneously to help the victims rebuild and continue their daily life: Damage Assessment, Life-skill Education for Underage Victims, and Semi Permanent Houses Construction.

Assessing the damage done by the massive earthquake is vital to identify physical remains at Piyungan Subdistrict, Bantul District. A total of 180 UGM students were then divided into several work units to, first of all, construct a comprehensive database consisting of names of victim family members, previous address, damaged possessions, etc. The database which was made possible through cooperation with RHK Project Management, and UGM SMEDC (Small and Medium Enterprise Development Center) was then used to plan semi-permanent housing areas, and building reconstructions.

The construction of semi-permanent houses doesn’t come easy. In cooperation with United Nations Development Program (UNDP), and UGM Agricultural Training, Research, and Development Center (KP4), a team of 35 students focused their work at Trimulyo Village, Jetis Subdistrict, Bantul District. At the end of the 2 months program, 125 semi-permanent buildings were constructed. UGM realized that this program was going to be a long run, therefore it was then established as a continuous program for years to come under the name of “SCS-CEL Economic Recovery Program”.
To help “rebuild” the human resources, 90 UGM students also developed a teaching and certification program with the help of Ministry of National Education and Provincial Education Office of Yogyakarta. 50 residents of previously-damaged Sidomulyo and Potorono Village in Bantul District gained new certified professional skills; 10 craftsmen, 10 electricians, 10 mechanics, 10 printing designers, and 10 chefs.

These three programs are symbols of UGM’s commitment towards social welfare development. By joining the SCS-CEL program, students got the chance to give back and answer the people’s call for help. Only through real life practice such as the SCS-CEL, empathy can be translated to real and positive impact for the community.

Village of Jelatik (Unit KKN BBL 10) is one of the locations of KKN Periode Gasal 2017, with the theme, “Facing the Village of Jelitik Sungailiat District Bangka Regency as a Special Economic Zone (KEK) of Bangka Regency”. The potential in this region is quite promising as a special economic area, especially in the field of tourism. The potential of nature as a tourist spot in the form of a clean beach area with a promising natural scenery that is currently being worked on by the government and investors. This condition is expected by the local government of Bangka able to be generated through skilled hands and intellectual creativity, that is through KKN-PPM UGM activities.

An initial week is used by KKN students for self-socialization and self-adjustment as well as setting up appropriate program activities. Most of the activities began to be directed to mapping the potential of the region, especially village of Jelitik. In collaboration with Development Planning Agency at Sub-National Level, several activities in order to formulate the strategy village Jelitik program as a special economic zone to be conical.
The second week has been arranged program, such as: mapping and excavation of village potency until planning JELIFEST activity (Festival of UMKM in Village Jelitik) at the end of KKN UGM activity. Motor drive program is to carry out entrepreneurship training, tourism promotion Gulf of Uber Tickling, increasing the potential of livestock and plantation (fields) cassava, and others. This is to be able to help the surrounding community in improving themselves in managing the potential of nature around them.

In the field of public health, Community Service Program UGM this unit gives special attention to environmental health, especially waste management. In the field of science make disaster mitigation program and making of evacuation path. In the social sciences of the humanities, in particular the arts and culture teams make programs to raise the traditional art of the village and documenting stories containing local wisdom.
These programs are expected to help the surrounding community to realize the potential and manage it well. Because without good management the good potential will not be a product of high value. This is what students feel to be able to help the community with what can be done with the community to increase awareness and knowledge of the community about the natural wealth and culture that can become a tourist attraction.

Penagan Village, part of West Mendo district in the Bangka Belitung Islands province was chosen to be one of SCS-CEL UGM unit location in early 2017. In this village there is a group of 30 students; consisting of 26 students from medical cluster, 3 students from agro cluster, and 1 student coming from social-humanities cluster. They are “BBL Unit 12” which a main unit program called “Mangrove Crab Cultivation in Penagan Village”.

Due to the success of its previous program that took place around 2 years ago, BBL Unit 12 decided to re-implement the theme. One problem that has just surfaced recently is the damaged and corrupted mangrove crabs ponds, due to the location of the cultivation of that is too close to the river and its water level is easily influenced by the sea tides. Therefore the SCS-CEL unit plans to move the location of the mangrove crab pond to a much safer and secure location from the potential flood.

The mangrove crab cultivation program, which has been done for the past two years, have a positive impact for the community because it had felt the harvesting of ponds. However, due to an uprising flood intensity, the shrimp ponds have been damaged. Realizing the positive impacts of mangrove crab cultivation program for the people of Penagan Village and acknowledging problems that have happened, SCS-CEL BBL unit 12 decided to offer newly developed solution. To do that, the SCS-CEL unit in collaboration with the Department of Fisheries of Bangka Regency -represented by Mrs. Tri Rahmawati- held socialization activities in order to promote the importance and benefits of the mangrove crab cultivation program.

After the socialization program, the next was to establish a group of coordinators to manage the mangrove crab cultivation, which was then named “Civilizer Abadi 2”. To ensure the sustainability of mangrove crab cultivation, the coordinators also required an institution that can be a joint container. To solve the problem, BBL Unit 12 decided to help the forming of BUMDES (village-owned business entity) with an emphasis on fishery. It is expected that this business unit as a manager of mangrove pond will later be useful for all Penagan villagers.

In addition to the main theme of mangrove crab cultivation, this SCS-CEL unit also undergone several non-thematic programs. The programs were divided into several fields, such as; health, agriculture, environment, and education programs. Those programs were a respond to a problem of poor waste management in Penagan Village. In order to maintain the village health level, a process of good waste management is needed. To increase public awareness to dispose of garbage in place. Supported by garbage dumping until the garbage has good economic value.

UGM’s KKN program gives many new experiences for each participant because it will live in a new place in a certain period of time. This experience is felt by Charles Beafort, one of the many international students who joined SCS-CEL program for two weeks from the 23 of November until the 7 of December (TAHUN BERAPA). “SCS-CEL was a very nice experience. It allowed me to discuss with Indonesian people, farmers, and student from the other faculty and exchange about our cultures as they were as interested in mine as I was in their” said Charles.

Charles also said that through SCS-CEL, he has gained many new positive values. For example, he now knows Indonesia better by going directly to a new environment which he never visited before. Going to a new place also opens the experience for a new intercultural interaction, after which Charles concluded that Indonesia is a very multicultural and diverse nation.

Charles went to do his SCS-CEL program in Sendangsari village, located in Minggir sub-district, Sleman district, Yogyakarta. Sendangsari village has most of its area covered by paddy fields as it is considered a rural area. Most of Sendangsari villagers go through their day by farming.

In his SCS-CEL program, Charles went alongside with other team members and gave out classes to local children on fishing, the importance of hygiene and healthy life style. This string of classes was meant to introduce local children to topics that are very closely related to their daily life and thus important to be known early.

In addition, Charles also provided elementary level English teaching to children in his neighborhood. He taught the kids how to greet other people politely and other basic conversation skills they might need to communicate with foreigners. Introducing English early on is important, considering in the present era, English is vital for an international exposure.

Through this SCS-CEL UGM program, Charles has learned many things that he did not know before living in the vicinity of UGM. He gained new knowledge and perspective on life, culture, and other positive values that will help him grow as a better and wiser person.

Ngentak hamlet is located on the south side of Yogyakarta, which is not far off from some new beaches that has recently been a prominent international tourist destination. Ngentak hamlet is a part of Poncosari village, in Srandakan sub-district, Bantul district, Yogyakarta. The village of itself has a total area of 1. 186, 122 ha. The administrative boundary of Poncosari village is adjacent to Trimurti village to the north, Gadingsari Village in Sadden Subdistrict to the east, and Progo (VILLAGE? SUBDISTRICT?) to the west.

The total population of Poncosari is about 14,158 people, consisting of 6,723 males and 7,435 females. 0-12 months old is the fewest age group with only 263 inhabitants, while 15-56 years old contributes the most to total population with about 7,945 inhabitants.

On the 5th November 2015, students participating in SCS-CEL UGM came to Ngentak hamlet to conduct their community development programs. The program is a form of “Tri Dharma University” values implementation, which is encouraging students to serve the community. Students of UGM are urged to share and apply their knowledge to develop small and marginalized communities all over Indonesia.

Baptiste Maillot, a French citizen, is one of many International students who took part in the SCS-CEL program conducted in Ngentak hamlet. This SCS-CEL program for Baptise is a new and challenging experience which he has never done before.

One program conducted by Baptiste during his SCS-CEL was to provide English classes to elementary school students. In addition, he also taught French language to students as it is one of the most internationally used language. Baptiste believed that through understanding these two languages, students will be more prepared for an international exposure.

SCS-CEL Ngentak Unit also created an event called “Cultural Day” in which all villagers from different age groups were invited. As the invitation was positively responded, every residents of Ngentak –old and young- made their way to the venue. The event itself was creatively presented; games and art shows involving parents and children made it a special and unforgettable day. On top of that, the SCS-CEL unit also cooked French cuisine to be shared with everybody. This is one way to introduce a foreign culture to the people of Ngentak, as most of them have never tried French cooking.

By the time their SCS-CEL program ends, it is expected that international students will be able to have new knowledge and insights on Indonesian culture, arts, and most importantly a rural community’s day by day livelihood. A cultural exchange will also benefit the local community, as it gives an extensive knowledge on other international communities.

Agriculture plays an immense role in Indonesia’s national development agenda. This is mainly due to Indonesia’s ever-increasing population number which correlates positively with the increasing need of food supply. Unfortunately this vital sector has yet been given enough attention and care by the government. According to Balai Pusat Statistik (BPS) data, the number of Indonesian population who works in agriculture sector decreases every year. In one year span since 2013, a total of 39.22 million farmers decreased to 38.97 million. The numbers drop once more in 2015, to only 37.75 million farmers. This continuous downturn is a reflection of Indonesia agriculture sector’s inability to support and provide a decent livelihood for its farmers.

The farming community of Serang Village, Karangreja District, at Purbalingga Regency is a perfect example of the national phenomenon. Their main crops are quite diversified, for example: strawberry (Fragaria ananassa), chili pepper (Capsicum annuum), tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), cabbage (Brassica oleracea), and carrot (Daucus carota). However, to counter constant economic pressures, farmers of Serang have developed alternative forms of communal income; strawberry farms agro-tourism.  

Sadly enough, Serang farmers are still facing a list of problems when it comes to farmland management. These problems only came to surface after UGM students did a joint analysis with students from Ibaraki University Japan during their Students Community Service – Community Empowerment Learning (SCS-CEL) program in 2013. For instance, there is yet a proper and effective planting design plan for each crops in Serang although it is needed to face unstable climate conditions. Farmer’s inability to creatively promote and add more sale value to their raw crop products is also considered a problem to the students for it does not provide better income for the community.  Another issue is supply chain complexity, in which the farmers does not have the ability to sell their products directly to consumers. On top of all, bugs and pests only gave more anxiousness to the people.

After thoroughly analyzing the issue, SCS-CEL Serang unit decided that the first step to improve Serang farmer’s agriculture potential is through mentoring. The team specifically focused on strawberry cultivation mentoring in order to increase its quality hence a higher sale price.

Serang Unit also supported strawberry farm agrotourism as a new emerging tourism destination through public education. This step is deemed needed as good planning and organizing skills are vital to enhance the community’s knowledge on tourism management.

This program was made successful from the extensive and efficient collaboration of several stakeholders, namely Purbalingga Regency local government, Serang villagers, SCS-CEL students, and farmers.  Students from Ibaraki University were also happy and glad to be able to learn Indonesian values as they also contributed in making Indonesian agriculture sector better.

Sand dune, or locally known as Gumuk Pasir, is a hill of loose sand built by wind or water flow processes which might occur in different sizes and shapes. Apart from being a very unique coastal area natural phenomenon, sand dune is also a newly emerging tourism destination in southern region of Yogyakarta.
For those who wants to enjoy a desert-esque landscape while still enjoying a relaxed sea breeze, this is absolutely the place to be.

For Mathilde Mallet and Maxie Elisa Netzhammer, two German students enrolling in SCS-CEL UGM program who belongs to sub-unit two and three from Grogol X village Bantul unit, the Parangtritis Beach sand dune comes calling. As quoted from Maxie’s SCS-CEL story, their unit assignment was to initiate the sand dune conservation program, in which they also have to consider a restructuration process to improve this tourism magnet. Working together with 28 other Indonesian students, their unit dove in to the SCS-CEL program at the 6 th of November 2015.

Immediately after their first meetings with Grogol X locals, both Mathilde and Maxie are convinced that people’s opinion are divided in the sand dune topic. Some wanted to sell the sand, some wanted to grow plantations on it, while some others wanted the sand dune to be concentrated as a tourism object. This fact alone gave Mathilde and Maxie a new perspective on natural resource management-related conflict; it is not possible for them to just come and offer solutions without first understanding the local context of the conflict.

This realization led Mathilde and Maxie to tackle the issue from another entry point: education. Both of them then went to the local youth groups, or Karang Taruna, who took care of the sand dune and rent sandboards for tourists. Their main objective was to educate the Karang Taruna on the importance of sand dune conservation for a sustainable ecology, while also teaching them basic hospitality skills needed when engaging with international tourists. Mathilde and Maxie also went to local elementary and junior high schools where they socialized information on sand dune while also teaching English and German to the students. Surprisingly, the students are also proactive in teaching Mathilde and Maxie Indonesian words and culture. For both of them, this was a very precious cultural exchange experience in which they’ve broaden their minds to accept cultural diversities.

At the end of their program, Mathilde and Maxie were very happy to gain new knowledge on the contextualization of conflict in both local and global scale. In an era of global society where conflicts are more likely to happen, both of them are now capable to also offer alternative solutions through their experiences in UGM’s SCS-CEL program.

As one of 17 SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) key points promoted by the United Nations, ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all at all ages is a very essential step in achieving the totality of goals. According to Badan Statistik Yogyakarta, in 2015 alone, 39.6% of Yogyakarta total population (3,457,491 people) had health related complain every one month. 48.2% of those complainants, had an average of 5 working days disturbed. In other words, almost 659,938 people had to postpone their work every 5 days due to health issues. This numbers puts the importance of health and hygiene promotion to perspective because it correlates positively with a society’s welfare.

Three international students, namely; Tim BÜettner, Tim Kalmbach, and Mohammad Algisch, joined an UGM SCS-CEL unit working in Sidorejo Village in Kulonprogo during August 2015 to help increase locals awareness to health and hygiene. Their effort was made possible by the collaboration of 26 other Indonesian UGM students coming from different faculties who shared the same concern for the ±400 village inhabitants.  

As told by Mohammad, his sub unit which was mostly consisted of medical students, was responsible to conduct a medical checkup in kindergartens consisting of baby weighting, and basic health checkups. Consultations regarding child care was also given to increase the local’s knowledge on how to properly raise a child in with a healthy environment.

A slight different approach from Mohammad’s sub unit approach, Tim Buettner and Tim Kalmbach’s sub unit decided to organize a football tournament to promote a healthy and active lifestyle for Sidorejo youngsters. The “Bule Cup” took place over four days with contestants coming from four other villages. After losing at the first stage, they then supported the other groups competing for the number one position.

Locals also had the opportunity to introduce all three international students to their day by day duties. In the mornings, Mohammad enjoyed the company of several kids as they taught him how to fish traditionally. Tim Kalmbach and Tim Buettner, in the other hand, got the opportunity to learn rice milling process. They were able to observe and participate in each step from drying the paddy to packing them into sacks. This process was especially interesting as they only have packed up rice in supermarkets.

All three international students took great pleasure in providing the Sidorejo villagers with information needed regarding health issues. Through SCS-CEL UGM, Tim Butnner, Tim Kalmbach, and Mohammad Algisch have experienced the purest form of cultural exchange in which they’ve also learnt the simple joy of living in a small Indonesian rural area.