‘Solidarity Indonesia for Palestine’ aims to provide up-to-date information on the situation in Gaza and Palestine in general, highlight the effects of war on women and children, and implement and expand cooperation with partners, such as Dompet Duafa DIY and Amna Care Fund. This activity was held on Thursday, 28 March 2024, at Musholla An-Najah, Sleman, Yogyakarta. The Executive Director of Amna Care Fund delivered the material in Arabic so a translator companion was needed, Dr Mahmudah, M.Hum.

The activities also included fundraising conducted conventionally and through transfers or QRIS, with the total funds collected reaching almost 5,000,000.00. The funds will be channelled to the Amna Care Fund through Dompet Duafa DIY to support the dispatch of medical teams to Gaza, especially for the treatment of women and children with permanent disabilities. The event was closed with a group photo session.

On Sunday, 21 July 2024, at 16.00 WIB, at the Jejak Imaji Community Secretariat, Banguntapan, Bantul, a literary community discussion was held. The discussion was held as one of the agendas to commemorate the decade-long journey of the Jejak Imaji community. The community has produced several poetry and short story writers who were published in many mass media and won a number of writing competitions. The celebration was held for approximately one week, from 20-28 July 2024 with a variety of agendas presenting 40 writers, artists, academics, culturalists, literacy activists, and musicians.

At the literary community discussion event, Saeful Anwar, a lecturer at the Indonesian Language and Literature Study Programme, Faculty of Cultural Sciences UGM, said that there are three general trends of literary communities in Yogyakarta, namely those that offer celebrations of works, discussions to legitimise works, and relationships to expand the perspective of the work. For Anwar, Jejak Imaji is the third type of community, where members find space to collaborate together in entering the world of literature.

Yogyakarta, July 13, 2024 — Rela Co-Working Space on Jl. Pogung Baru, Yogyakarta, hosted an in-depth discussion on the Palestinian issue with the title “Questioning the Problems of Palestine: Need Real Solutions”. This activity was held with speaker Dr. Mahmudah, M.Hum., and attended by members of the Mustanir community, consisting of lecturers and students from various universities in Yogyakarta.

The discussion held on Saturday had the main objective of responding to the current situation in Gaza and Palestine in general, providing an in-depth understanding of the background of the Palestine-Israel conflict, and socializing social institutions involved in efforts to help the Palestinian people affected by the war.

The event was opened with a warm welcome from the host, followed by the reading of verses from the Qur’an to provide a spiritual nuance to the discussion. Furthermore, Dr. Mahmudah, M.Hum., presented material that focused on various aspects of the Palestine-Israel conflict and the challenges faced by the Palestinian people due to the war.

The 45-minute presentation ended with a question and answer session, allowing participants to dig deeper and discuss concrete solutions related to the issues discussed. The discussion also underlined the linkages to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly in the aspects of Peace, Justice, and Resilient Institutions, with an emphasis on strengthening inclusive and peaceful societies, providing access to justice, and building effective and inclusive institutions.

The activity ended with a group photo session as a closing moment. The participants felt that the discussion not only provided new insights into the ongoing conflict, but also opened up opportunities to contribute to social efforts that support justice and peace for the Palestinian people.

With this discussion, it is hoped that the public can better understand the complexity of the Palestinian conflict and play an active role in efforts to support a just and humane solution.

The Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Gadjah Mada University really cares about preparing its graduates to face post-college life.  Prospective graduates have completed various kinds of upheavals during their college years. However, the real upheaval of life will come after they graduate. They will enter a new phase in life filled with greater challenges. Considering that the reality of life often does not match expectations, new graduates need to prepare themselves carefully and plan what steps they will take after graduating from college. For this purpose, Cultural Sciences designed a training program for prospective graduates and female graduates, with the aim of improving their personal qualities.

Rati Krisnawan is a successful entrepreneur who graduated from the Cultural Anthropology study program, Faculty of Cultural Sciences, UGM. Since becoming a student, Rati has made various achievements. Rati also received an award as the youngest and fastest cum laude graduate. Rati received various other awards, including: Inspirational Entrepreneur Woman of 2022; Award for Inspirational, Innovative, Visionary and Changemaker Women by WOMAN Magazine in 2023; . UGM Faculty of Cultural Sciences alumni award in 2023. Currently, Rati is developing various businesses in the field of Event Organizer and FnB. In her presentation, Rati shared valuable knowledge about how she started conservation. Rati told her fellow graduate candidates to explore deeper values ​​within themselves and never stop exploring their own abilities.

Community service or KKN (Kuliah Kerya Nyata) is an important part of higher education in Indonesia, especially at Universitas Gadjah Mada. The KKN-PPM UGM SG 007 with the theme “Optimizing Local Potential to Realize Community-Based Sustainable Tourism in Namu, Batujaya, and Malaringgi Villages” was carried out by 28 UGM students from July 1, 2024 to August 19, 2024. The team received appreciation from H. Surunuddin Dangga, S.T., M.M. as the Regent of South Konawe when participating in the Stunting Eradication Program in Namu Village.

Rafi Ramdani, a student of Cultural Anthropology, Faculty of Cultural Sciences UGM, in early July to mid-August, carried out KKN-PPM in Malaringgi Village, Laonti District, South Konawe Regency which witnessed his enthusiasm to serve the community through the Pinaika Musical Instrument Teaching program with the theme “Educating Malaringgi.” The program was held in the village of Malaringgi: Comprehensive and innovative learning activities for children”. This program has been designed by the UGM KKN-PPM team under the guidance of Dra. Eko Sulistyani, M.Sc, from the Department of Physics, FMIPA UGM with the main objective of providing comprehensive education to students in Malaringgi Village.

Rafi’s program focuses on teaching and training children to play the pianika as one of the modern musical instruments developing in Indonesia. He realizes that music is not just entertainment, but also a means to develop children’s cognitive, social, and emotional skills as well as a medium to preserve local culture by adapting local songs using modern musical instruments. By introducing the pianika, which is a modern musical instrument but easy to learn, children can improve hand-eye coordination, fine motor skills, and the ability to read musical notation. In addition, through playing music together, children also learn to work together and communicate better.

Photo of Rafi teaching children to play the pianika

The community welcomed this program enthusiastically. Children who previously had limitations in playing musical instruments are now starting to show significant improvement. Rafi not only acts as a teacher, but also as a mentor who helps build confidence in the children to explore and learn music. With the skill of playing the pianika, the children are expected to have wider opportunities to participate in various art activities at school and outside of school. This can pave the way for them to explore their interests and talents in music, which can be a provision for the future.

The community service carried out by Rafi is a reflection of the role of students in bringing positive changes to various layers of society. With his enthusiasm and dedication, he proves that Anthropology students of FIB UGM are not only committed to improving academic quality, but also have an active role in creating positive impacts in society. This program not only provides training in music playing skills, but also brings a glimmer of hope and a place of creativity for the children of Malaringgi Village to face a brighter future as the next generation of the nation.