Citizenship Workshop Nekamese 2023
2 October to 6 October 2023, VDMI held a Citizenship Workshop “To Build an Active Citizens for Sustainable Society Development” in Nekamese Village, Oemasi Village, Nekamese District, East Nusa Tenggara. Attended by 20 selected participants from around Indonesia. It aims to provide the VDMI grantees with an understanding of sustainability and social development that can be implemented in the local society. On the day of arrival (October 1), participants were divided into five groups with five local potential resources (Agriculture, Husbandry, Woman Empowerment, Clean Water, and Weaving). Damianus Nemeseo, S.IP (Head of General Affairs and Planning for Oemasi Village) explained about local potential resources (both Natural Resources and Human Resources).
On the first day, participants were given the material needed to become active citizens, including: Resilience and Adversity Quotient by Febriana Dwiyanti, Writing Skill by St. Kartono and Communication Skill (Psychology Communication) by Yesi Puspita. In the VUCA (Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity) era of the 21st century, resilience has become a crucial skill set for individuals to navigate through challenging times. Adversity is inevitable, but how we respond to it can make all the difference. Participants are important to sharpen themselves and continuously acquire new skills. The ability to adapt and learn from difficult situations will enable them to thrive in an ever-changing world. Participants were asked to write down five personal values (the values they live by, the things they believe in and the important things they defend), then choose three and finally one. After that, they take one of the available images (Point of You). They reflect on how the image represents their self-values.
Participants are asked to write a real-report local exposure when jumping into society. Developing strong writing skills is essential for effective communication and expressing oneself. It involves various components such as connective reading, vocabulary, writing techniques, perseverance, and outlining ideas. Apart from that, participants also understand effective communication. Becoming a good communicator involves both verbal and non-verbal aspects, as well as an understanding of ethics, aesthetics, logic, and the ability to build strong relationships. Verbal communication refers to the use of spoken or written words to convey messages. Non-verbal communication, on the other hand, includes body language, facial expressions, gestures, and tone of voice. Both forms of communication are important in conveying meaning and establishing rapport with others.
Second day, before Local Exposure (Jump to Society), participants prepare several questions and data as interview material. Collect data as a reference. Yesi Puspita explains the Technique of Interview. When it comes to conducting successful interviews (local exposure), there are several key techniques that can greatly enhance the process. These techniques involve determining the theme or topic of the interview, studying the problem or subject matter beforehand, compiling a well-thought-out list of questions, identifying reliable sources for information, and considering the appropriate interview structure. In addition, participants have created an outline of questions and activity reports. Several outlines have been revised and changed so that they are more effective in making reports. Participants were asked to make observations in several places as complementary data. The aim of the observation is to match the outline design with the real conditions of the village. After that, participants again updated the outline and adjusted it to the data that had been obtained through observation.
The third day is the main day of this workshop. Participants jump to society (local exposure). There were five groups that visited five different resources: [1] Agriculture: visied agricultural land in Dusun Tiga [2] Husbandry: visited the Cattle Farm in Dusun Lima, [3] Women’s Empowerment: visited Ibu Kepala Desa / Ketua PKK, [4] Clean Water: visited Village Head’s Office and saw several water sources such as the well, water storage and reservoir, and [5] Tenun: visited Maria Nana who still preserves weaving in Oemasi Village. After Local Exposure, Febriana Dwiyanti shared about understanding yourself and others by communicating. Participants took role play: words and imagination. The objectives are: [1] The importance of clarity of information and what needs to be done if the information obtained is not clear. One way is by asking, [2] To understand that a spoken word can have a meaning that can trigger a reaction in the body or an emotional reaction, they need to be careful and [3] The way a person acts on a message is often based on the participant’s recorded memories and experiences.
On the fourth day, St Kartono gives some notes or revisions from participants’ reports about local exposure. He said that writing is to serve the reader. It is best if the writing is easy for readers to understand and comprehend. In writing, the opening word is a “tendangan” and attracts the reader to continue until the end of the writing. Participants must pay attention to “tata-tulis” with “satu tanda, satu makna” and when writing paragraphs. One paragraph has no more than four supporting sentences. Setelah itu, Febriana with Role Play: GRIT Test. Participants are asked to add up the GRIT scores and divide them by 10. The higher the score, the more grit the participant has. In the afternoon, participants had the opportunity to visit Taman Baca Oesapa and Mangrove Conservation which was an initiative of alumni and grantees RR Kupang. One participant read poetry and several participants told stories. The children were very enthusiastic and participated happily. It is hoped that by visiting, participants will get an overview and create activities in their respective areas.
On the last day, participants present the results of local exposure based on their respective topics. Group 1 (Agriculture), people in Dusun Tiga cultivate shallots as an alternative to waiting for the rain to come. Even though it is dry, the land in Dusun Tiga has a type of “black soil” which is fertile and suitable for the agricultural sector. The fertilizer problem can be overcome with innovation in the form of increasing the humus content of the soil through household waste such as banana peels, coffee grounds, egg shells and salt. Group 2 (Husbandry), some people in Dusun Lima raise cows. Feeding difficulties in the dry season are a problem because cows only consume lamtoro leaves and banana stems. It is hoped that silage can become an alternative animal feed. Silage is a process of processing forage for livestock by preserving it through a fermentation process.
Group 3 (Woman Empowerment), Oemasi Village is in second place in terms of stunting cases in Nekamese District (February 2023). The mother’s role is supported by education on stunting, immunization and nutritional needs from the government. Men are expected to play a role in the welfare of the family. Group 4 (Clean Water), To meet water needs, 75% of the people of Oemasi Village use tanks at a price of one hundred thousand rupiah for 4-5 houses. Lack of water can be seen from dry and cracked soil conditions. The Village Head plans to build five units of dug wells (one well for one hamlet). Apart from that, Oemasi Village also has chalky soil which causes the water consumed to contain high levels of calcium which can trigger kidney disease. Group 5 (Tenun), The selling price of weaving is lower than the manufacturing price. The only woven products produced are sarongs and shawls. At the end of the Citizenship Workshop, participants wore traditional dress from each region. There are Medan, Padang, Sunda, Java, Makassar, East Nusa Tenggara (Kupang, Sumba, Ende, Malaka, Soe). They put on traditional dance and singing performances. The activity aims to love and preserve traditional Indonesian culture.
