UNS – Universitas Sebelas Maret (UNS), through the Center for Rural Research and Regional Development (Puslitdesbangda) of the Research and Community Service Institute (LPPM) of UNS, has been entrusted by Bank Rakyat Indonesia (BRI) to implement the New Desa BRILiaN 2024 program.
The Kick Off Meeting Batch 1 event was held in a hybrid meeting format and was attended by 473 villages from the Banjarmasin, Palembang, Makassar, Padang, Pekanbaru, Medan, and Bandar Lampung regions on Monday (22/4/2024). The event included an opening ceremony with a presentation of the activity report by Dr. Muhammad Hendri Nuryadi, M.Sc., the Head of Puslitdesbangda LPPM UNS, followed by speeches from PT. BRI by the Head of Social Entrepreneurship & Incubation Division, and lastly, a speech and opening remarks by Prof. Dr. Fitria Rahmawati, S.Si., M.Sc., representing the Rector of UNS.
In his speech, Andika Arif Rahmansyah,the Head of Social Entrepreneurship & Incubation Division at BRI, stated, “The Kick-Off New Desa Brilian 2024 Batch 1” is an initiative by BRI to empower micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), reflecting BRI’s role not only as a financial intermediary institution providing economic value but also delivering social value through empowerment actions for both individual entrepreneurs and village institutions.
Empowering rural areas is a crucial issue considering the uneven development of villages in Indonesia. This is reflected in the fact that only <46% of the total 74.424 villages, according to the 2023 Village Development Index (IDM), are classified as advanced and independent.
Since 2020, BRI has been actively involved in rural development through the “Desa BRILiaN” program. The “Desa BRILiaN” program is an incubation program aimed at creating role models for village development, through the implementation of excellent village leadership practices and collaboration to optimize village potential based on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s).
Villages participating in the “Desa BRILiaN” program are expected to serve as sources of inspiration for village progress that can be replicated in other villages. Up to now, the “Desa BRILiaN” program has been followed by 3.178 villages that have been motivated and committed to progress through planned programs.
The “Desa BRILiaN” focuses on developing four crucial aspects of village life: Village-Owned Enterprises (BUMDES) as the economic engine of the village; Digitalization, implementing digital products and activities in the village; Sustainability, resilience and continuity in village development; and Innovation, creativity in creating village innovations.
The empowerment activities target Village Officials (Village Heads), BUMDES Managers, Village Consultative Bodies, Village Entrepreneurs, and Rural Product Enthusiasts (Prukades). “Our hope is that this highly beneficial activity can be participated in by all key economic growth elements present in the village. Based on our experience, participants can join at the Village Hall, Village Office, BUMDes Office, or even at our BRI Unit Office,” Andika Arif Rahmansyah explained.
Ultimately, “Desa BRILiaN” aims to be a prestigious and inspirational village, responsive, resilient, and innovative both during and after the pandemic, serving as a model for other villages.
“As information, we would like to mention that this year’s “Desa BRILiaN” program is in its fifth year. This year, we continue the “Desa BRILiaN” program, divided into three batches with a target of 1.000 participating villages from all over Indonesia,” he added.
The village ecosystem strengthening is also supported by the Strengthening Micro Business Groups (Klaster) Program in Villages called Klasterku Hidupku, where BRI identifies the need for empowerment, including business training and selective provision of facilities and infrastructure.
Furthermore, to support village markets, BRI is initiating the formation of the Pasar.id platform, a platform connecting market traders and buyers online as an adaptation to the challenges of doing business during and after the pandemic.
“In addition, we are also developing an empowerment platform called linkumkm.id, which can facilitate upgrading MSMEs, as well as various BRI service products that can be utilized by villages and BUMDes, such as BRIlink Agents, Stroberi cashiers & billers, QRIS, and other products,” Andika Arif Rahmansyah said.
The core activity of the Kick-Off event is the presentation of material by Adityawarman Darudono, the Director of Technical Planning for Rural Economic Development and Investment, representing the Director-General of Rural Economic Development and Investment, Underdeveloped Areas, and Transmigration of the Ministry of Village, Development of Disadvantaged Regions, and Transmigration of the Republic of Indonesia, on “Building and Developing Village Economies and Investments through Collaboration with Multi-Parties BUMDes”.
This was then followed by a sharing session with Desa BRILiaN alumni, presented by Herlan, the Head of Bansari Village, Temanggung, who was the winner of the Desa BRILiaN Award 2023. He shared insights on Bansari Village, a Smart, Creative, Innovative, and Collaborative Village.
The next session cover technical presentations on the implementation of the New Desa BRILiaN 2024, including the Socialization of LMS Usage, Assessment Criteria, Assessment Techniques, and schedules, presented by Wahyu Noviansyah, S.Pd., M.Pd, and Agus Tri Haryanto, S.Kom., M.Cs.
After the Kick-Off event, activities continue with Empowerment, Graduation/Inauguration, and Assistance. Empowerment activities include literacy activities for Desa BRILiaN empowerment subjects through online learning according to the established curriculum, closely tied to the Desa BRILiaN framework. Graduation/Inauguration activities involve awarding/appreciating the top 40 villages from each batch during the empowerment period, judged to have excellent, collaborative, innovative leadership, and are capable of serving as role models for other village developments. Finally, Assistance activities consist of intensive mentoring for Desa Brilian participants (Top 15 Desa Brilian in each batch).
The culmination of the Desa BRILiaN program involves awarding villages judged to have excellent, collaborative, innovative leadership and capable of serving as role models for other village developments. The top 15 villages (5 villages per batch) will be selected to attend the Nugraha Karya Desa BRILiaN event. At this event, the best Village Heads and BUMDes Directors will be judged and will present the village’s excellence. In preparation for this event and to boost confidence, two additional online Public Speaking classes will be held, focusing on Boosting Confidence, Growth Mindset & Personal Branding, as well as Techniques for Influencing & Persuading Others. HUMAS UNS