25 UGM students participated in the community service program in Jaten Village and Brubuh Village, Jogorogo Sub-district, Ngawi Regency. During the program implementation period, the students carried the theme of empowering and strengthening community capacity during the Covid-19 pandemic to support eco-tourism and natural resources.
“Connectivity between tourist destinations, improvement of infrastructure, and promotion of Kenebejo continue to be encouraged,” said Totok Sugiarto, Head of the Tourism Division of the Ngawi Youth, Sports, Culture, and Tourism Office on Friday (3/7).
Jogorogo sub-district is part of the Kenebejo region on the northern slopes of Mount Lawu, which includes four sub-districts, namely Kendal, Sine, Ngrambe, and Jogorogo. Apart from being Ngawi’s mainstay tourist destination, Kenebejo serves as a protection and preservation area for biodiversity and springs.
In the previous communty service program, which took place in Sine, one of the sub-districts that is also in the Kenebejo area, UGM students succeeded in pioneering the Girikerto Green Tourism Village (DeWiGiri) and a new tourist attraction Sumber Koso which received a lot of appreciation, from the community, industry players, and local government.
The Community Service of Jogorogo Sub-district Team, led by Zulfa Parulian Unit Coordinator, planned various programs, such as preparing the Jaten and Brubuh Village master plans. Besides, village and youth apparatuses also empowered to optimize village websites and social media to support nature tourism and homestay initiation on the north slopes of Mount Lawu.
The students also held programs to educate the public about the New Normal and proper health protocols, process household and agricultural organic waste into Liquid Organic Fertilizer (POC) with stacked bucket technology, and produce yards during the Covid-19 pandemic with crops, herbal and ornamental plants.
The Faculty of Forestry lecturer who acts as a field supervisor, Atus Syahbudin S.Hut., M.Agr., Ph.D., said that with this year’s UGM Community Service programs, the community is expected to be more empowered and bring up village youths in the community to improve community welfare while preserving the nature of Mount Lawu. It is essential for the sustainability of the community service programs that have been initiated by UGM.
“Therefore, the Kendal-Sine-Ngrambe-Jogorogo region, which surrounds the northern slope of Mount Lawu will have more sustainable biodiversity and the more prosperous the community. It is such a big thanks to the cooperation between UGM, Ngawi Regency Government, and the local community,” he said.
This year, the UGM community service program was carried out online amid the Covid-19 pandemic, which is still ongoing. It was directed to develop various themes of the Community Service Program, such as educating the community to face the New Normal, improving clean and healthy living habits, strengthening rural economies, and developing villages tour.
This period’s community service activities will begin on June 29, which is opened directly by the Minister of Education and Culture, Nadiem Makarim, until August 18. A total of 4,504 students, 178 Field Supervisors, and 15 Regional Coordinators completed one of the Tridharma of higher education in 27 provinces, 77 districts, and 263 villages.
Source: https://ugm.ac.id/id/berita/19658-mahasiswa-kkn-ugm-dukung-penguatan-eco-tourism-di-ngawi
