A total of 4,504 UGM students will participate in the 2nd Period Online Student Community Service Program 2020 from 29 June to 18 August 2020. They will be spread across 178 locations covering 27 provinces, 77 districts/cities, 143 sub-districts, and 263 villages. According to the plan, the Minister of Education and Culture, Nadiem Makarim, will launch the UGM Online Student Community Service Program on Monday (29/6) online.
“While at the location, students will be supervised by 178 Field Supervisors and 16 Regional Coordinators,” said UGM Director of Community Service, Prof. Irfan Prijambada, on Saturday (27/6).
Irfan said that these students had been briefed before participating in the program from 29 February to 3 April 2020 by speakers from various faculties. They also received special training, including DESA Apps, PIAT Waste Management, and Online Training on Planning (ONTOP), an Online Village Development Planning Training.
Since the outbreak of Covid-19, UGM has implemented Online Community Service for Period 1 from 12 March to 30 April and Period 6 from 4 May to 22 June.
Covid-19 does not stop UGM’s devotion toward the community.
Covid-19
Covid-19 pandemic does not dampen the enthusiasm of both students and field supervisors who are involved in the UGM Community Service Program. They are still enthusiastic about implementing an online student community service program, as said by Galuh Adi Insani, S.Pt., M.Sc, a field supervisor from the Faculty of Animal Science.
Galuh is a field supervisor assigned by the Directorate of Community Service in the Kokap Unit, Kulonprogo, for two periods (period 1 and period 6). During the 1st period, she experienced 2 phases of the community service program: Kalirejo Village and Hargorejo Village, Kokap, Kulonprogo, and had to withdraw her students on the 7th day because Indonesia was affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.
“At that time, it was decided from UGM that the community service program would be carried out online so that students were drawn back to their respective houses and carried out an online program as well,” she said.
Even though it was done online, said Galuh, the enthusiasm of the students was extraordinary. Moreover, she also gave freedom for students to express opinions and carry out activities according to existing guidelines.
“So, someone helps find educational materials, becomes a member of the task force in their city, raises funds from partners, and cooperates with religious organizations in distributing aid. All of our coordination is done online,” she said.
Even though there were several obstacles, such as signals and face-to-face contact with residents that were not so intense, creativity and ideas continued to emerge during the Online Community Service during the Covid-19 period. In Period 1, they teamed up with DERU UGM, UGM Academic Hospital, and Directorate of Community Service to make face shields, hand sanitizers, soap, education to the community. While in Period 6 with the same village location, they could create podcasts on Spotify, develop websites, and write online community service books: Evidence of Consecrated Gadjah Mada Unrestricted by Pandemic and Policy Brief (Covid-19 Mitigation Based on Javanese Local Knowledge-Based on Wong Jowo Ojo Ilang Jawane).
One of Galuh’s students, Fernando Galang Rahmadana from the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, assessed that this online community service is an extraordinary momentum, especially for students to revisit the intentions, goals, and essence of community service itself as a service process. He admitted that community service implementation using the online system was not easy, mostly since there were no references from previous KKN.
“This condition is a challenge as well as an opportunity for students to play a role in helping the community so that people can feel the presence of students through the community service program. This is also to reinforce students’ position in carrying out the Tridarma of Higher Education,” said Fernando.
Forging Community Service Program on a Long Journey
Talking about UGM Community Service Program cannot be separated from the presence of Student Mobilization. At that time, around 1951-1962, UGM sent volunteer students to teach and establish high schools outside Java. There were 1,218 students involved, and 109 high schools succeeded on islands outside Java.
At present, the UGM community service program is almost implemented in all provinces in Indonesia. The program, which involves multi-discipline, has also changed its paradigm from Development to Empowerment.
In its journey, UGM community service program continues to develop rapidly in various programs; thus, the world recognizes it. Several universities abroad also want to adopt existing programs. Several universities abroad that are interested in the program and plan to adopt including Adger College University (Norway), Hanseo University and Seoul Women University (South Korea), Hiroshima Economic University, and Kyushu University (Japan). It also emphasizes UGM as a “Locally rooted, Globally Respected” populist campus.
Source: https://ugm.ac.id/id/berita/19625-bakti-gadjah-mada-melalui-kkn-ppm-daring-di-masa-pandemi-covid-19
