UNS — Student Association in Agricultural Extension & Communication (HM Pelita) Universitas Sebelas Maret (UNS) Surakarta held a national webinar Bina Desa 2021 on “Exploring the Community Potential through SDGs to Build Indonesia from Rural Area to Achieve Food Resilience and Farmer’s Welfare”. The speakers invited to this event are Tri Mumpuni, Executive Director of IBEKA, Rendy Aditya Wachid B.Arch., M.B.A., the Founder of Parongpong RAW Lab, Dominico Danang Sandi Prihatnanto, S.S., Manager of Kitiran Emas Yosoroto Waste Bank Surakarta, Dr. Sutanto Sastraredja, S.Si., DEA., the Director of Academic Reputation and Student Affairs UNS, and Eko Wulandaru, Village Apparatus in Kragan Village Karanganyar.
The webinar that was held through the Zoom Cloud Meeting aims to educate and share knowledge on empowerment to the wide community, especially in Kragan Village, Karanganyar. Tri Mumpuni shared the principles of village empowerment, including community should be participative and willing to receive help and understand all the required processes. Tri Mumpuni considered that community empowerment could be implemented through the introduction, self-organizing, and people independence phases.
“There are several phases in empowering the community, the introduction phase, then the self-organizing phase, and lastly, people independence phase,” Tri explained in an interview on Thursday (19/8/2021).
Tri explained that to be a village empowerer, a person needs to come to the village and stay there to learn about the community’s daily life and blend in the community. This approach could explore people’s characteristics so that they trust the empowerer. Tri added that providing understanding and socialization for the community is a vital part that supports the empowerment program.
The next material was delivered by Rendy Aditya Wachid B.Arch., M.B.A., who explained that university students could assist village development and empowerment by creating a balance between rural and urban areas. Thus, they could find a solution to a problem. The next speakers reminded the importance of balance between rural and urban areas. Empowerer should be able to solve the existing problems, no matter how small the problem is. Humas UNS
Reporter: Zalfaa Azalia Pursita
Editor: Dwi Hastuti
