Every Friday, the Faculty of Cultural Sciences engages in a regular exercise activity starting from 07:00 to 09:00 AM. This activity serves as one of the responsibilities that is aligned with SDGs 3: Good Health and Well-Being.

In an atmosphere full of spirit and enthusiasm, participants gather in the campus area to engage in various types of sports, such as aerobics, table tennis, and badminton. Not only that, some of them choose to participate in a brisk walk around the university, cycling, and practicing tennis on the UGM’s tennis courts.

This activity has become a regular agenda at the Faculty of Cultural Sciences which aims to show its commitment to promote health and well-being within the community. This activity does not only give physical benefits but also builds a stronger relationship within the community, and improves mental health.

Photo 1: Participants are playing badminton. 

Photo 2: Participants are playing table tennis. 

Klero Hamlet, located in Sumberharjo Village, Prambanan Subdistrict, Sleman Regency, Special Region of Yogyakarta, is a hamlet with high potential in socio-cultural aspects and tourist attractions. However, they encounter a significant environmental challenge; the closing of the Piyungan Landfill as the final disposal site for waste from the Prambanan community. Consequently, unmanaged waste has become an important issue that needs to be solved.

Through a collaboration with various community elements, UGM students and UGM lecturer, Dr. Wulan Tri Astuti developed a waste processing center adopting the zero waste concept, named Puspa Argabima Klero. It was established on August 10, 2022, with the goal of taking the responsibility for consumption and production (SDGs 12 Responsible Consumption and Production). This community is led by Mas Eliyadi, one of the local heroes in Klero Hamlet. Through various training and collaborations, Puspa Argabima Klero has successfully managed waste from 60 households in the village through waste sorting, utilization of organic waste through maggot cultivation, and the sale of organic waste in collaboration with a third party, Rapel.

In the early days of Puspa Argabima Klero, the community faced various challenges. For example, the maggot cultivation cage, which was initially built to cultivate maggot larvae, was hit by rain, causing huge damage such as flood. This led the community to initiate the construction of non-permanent structures using bamboo and tiles. Not only that, the building collapsed due to a heavy storm. However, these challenges did not stop their spirit, as they lent some money to build a 3×6 meters semi-permanent building to continue the maggot cultivation.

Through this program that is supported by BPDLH (Environmental Management Fund Agency), Puspa Argabima Klero expanded the building to 6×6 meters, obtained 6 maggot cultivation racks which are facilitated with dry and wet shredding machines, and acquired an oven to produce the flagship product named Pupuk Kasgot by Puspa Argabima Klero, and dried maggot product named Dr. Magro. Through these facilities, Puspa Argabima Klero successfully generated income through the sale of inorganic waste, fresh maggot products, Pupuk Kasgot, and Dr. Magro products which has allowed them to repay the loans and start to generate income for the 15 members of Puspa Argabima Klero which includes 8 housewives. Puspa Argabima Klero also managed 4-5 tons of waste every month, with 5-9 quintals of organic waste is used as maggot feed.

Puspa Argabima Klero has gained attention from the surrounding villages for successfully being the example of integrated waste management. They turn organic and inorganic waste into products that are valuable for the community. Their achievements were acknowledged by the Prambanan Subdistrict on their first anniversary on August 10, 2023.

Starting from this, Puspa Argabima Klero has evolved to be an educational waste processing tourism destination which utilizes maggot cultivation. With support from BPDLH, UGM students, and alumni, they integrate products such as maggots and Pupuk Kasgot with fisheries, farm, and agriculture through a mini-farm. This mini-farm is constructed to provide feed for hens, fish, and plant fertilizer, while also served as an interactive educational facility for visitors.

Furthermore, through ongoing programs, Puspa Argabima Klero expanded the building and created 18 cubic meters of an education space. This innovation also involved floor casting to facilitate waste sorting activities. Through a collaboration with tourism stakeholders, Puspa Argabima Klero has  successfully attracted more than 650 visitors, including junior high school students and village government staffs in Kendal Regency, who are interested in learning about waste management. This additional income has positive impacts on both the development and sustainability of their program.

Photo 1: Maggot Cultivation Racks

Photo 2: Mini-Farm

The Faculty of Cultural Sciences has many talented young students whose potential has been recognized by many people, one of them is Alya Ranti Azzahra. The student who is often called Alya, has succeeded in publishing 4 printed books which have been distributed on Gramedia, one of them has been filmed in cinemas & the other one has also been serialized on Genflix. This young woman from West Java is currently studying at the Indonesian Language and Literature department, Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Gadjah Mada University. At just 22 years old, she has already achieved many achievements. She admitted that she had loved reading and writing since childhood. She often took part in competitions and won. That is what then motivated her to take her writing talent more seriously.

In 2018, the rise ofphenomenon made Alya interested in writing and publishing work on that platform. Her first work, entitled The Other Side, has so far been read 23 million times. Since then, her works began to be recognized by readers and she began to write consistently. In 2020, the novel entitled The Other Side was published by Pastel Books, PT Mizan Pustaka. The novel was then filmed nationally in Indonesian cinemas by PT. Lingkar Karya Pratama and broadcast on March 17th 2022. In addition, her work entitled Broken Memories was broadcast on Genflix and succeeded in occupying the second highest position in the most watched series.

Alya admits that she feels happy when writing. According to her, she can express whatever is in her head without having to communicate it directly. “Because my mind is quite full and I like to imagine many things, I feel that writing is a ‘container’ for me. On the other hand, I think writing is like sharing feelings with other people. I can also create a new world. Also, I can express myself through the characters I create in the story.” She said on January 25th 2024 when she was asked about the reason why she liked writing so much. Furthermore, she also shared several tips for writing and producing work, such as:

• Always write from heart! It sounds classic, but anything written from the heart will definitely reach other hearts. Write sincerely and position yourself as if you are the character you are writing about.
• Consistent! Consistency in writing stories is really necessary. Especially as a digital writer. Readers are more likely to read our writing when we consistently write stories.
• Want to learn. You can start by learning about writing from writing books, writing seminars, and writers who have written before to find out writing tips. Apart from that, you also want to learn to develop yourself. Because now social media is developing very quickly.
• Read lots of books! To become a writer, of course you have to read a lot of books to find inspiration and increase your vocabulary.
• Be open to all suggestions and criticism, often chat with lots of people, be more sensitive to the environment around us because many new and brilliant ideas come from it.

In closing, Alya gives advice to the prospective writers that when we decide to become writers, we give our whole body and soul to the writing. We have to really like the world of writing. Write a story honestly and from the heart. Always be open to suggestions and criticism, often chat with people, & never stop learning. Just have fun writing, but don’t forget to come from the heart! She hopes that her journey to achieve success can motivate and provide valuable lessons for many people.

On Wednesday, January 25, 2024, the Faculty of Cultural Sciences of Universitas Gadjah Mada UGM sent a student representative named I Putu Adhimas Radiansyah Aryawan to participate in the Pojok Bulaksumur dialogue session. Pojok Bulaksumur is a casual dialogue session held by UGM that involves the university’s leadership and the media, aiming to provide information transparency to the general public. At this Pojok Bulaksumur event, three main speakers were invited to discuss the latest issues in the general election and the role of students as youth in exercising their right to vote and making their choices for the future of the nation and state. The three speakers were: Alfath Bagus Panuntun El Nur Indonesia, S.I.P., M.A., a lecturer in the Department of Politics and Government UGM, Laksito Lintang Kinanthi, the Chairman of the Student Element Board of Trustees, and Linda Kristiani Sianturi, Law Student from Faculty of Law Batch 2022.

Pojok Bulaksumur was opened with a speech by the University Secretary, Dr. Andi Sandi Antonius Tabusassa Tonralipu, S.H., LL.M., who gave a message to the university’s public relations and staff to communicate information transparently, both in the front office and back office, especially during moments when issues surrounding Single Tuition Fees (UKT) and PTN-BH status are starting to emerge. Dr. Andi Sandi also opened the Pojok Bulaksumur dialogue by giving a brief introduction to the general election, specifically the theme of first-time voters for the election of legislative candidates and executive candidates.

After the opening speech, the event continued with a casual dialogue session with the three speakers about the performance of the presidential and vice presidential candidates in the debates, which represented the discussion of the executive branch, and a discussion that highlighted the legislative election, which also plays an important role in the current general election atmosphere. The discussion then continued with the speakers’ hopes for the presidential and vice presidential candidates regarding universities, inclusive digital spaces for voters, the trend of youth commodification, and green elections, which are a concern for environmental issues after the campaign.

“This Pojok Bulaksumur discussion was very beneficial and opened up a space for education about the general election, especially the discussion about first-time voters, which was the subject of the theme that became the circle of discussion this time,” expressed Radiansyah Aryawan, the student representative from the Faculty of Cultural Sciences UGM.

The discussion at Pojok Bulaksumur on January 25, 2024, opened the eyes of students, invited media, and the university and faculty leadership and representatives to the transparency of information from UGM and the general election matters that are currently underway. As Linda Kristiani Sianturi said, all presidential and vice presidential candidates have a vision and mission for Indonesia Emas 2045, so we need to highlight each one’s vision and mission. This aligns with the implementation of SDG 16, Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions.