Developing interest in learning Javanese fiction writing among students is one of the good efforts made by the Javanese Language, Literature, and Culture Study Program. This effort is reflected through the organization of structured courses. However, the study program makes other efforts to identify hidden talents, improve students’ basic competencies, and ensure the sustainability of this interest. One of them is to bring students closer to writers and authors who are qualified in this field through writing training and mentoring activities.

The open offer was conveyed to students through a class communication group. The class community has been formed in the context of training activities in writing children’s stories by Budi Sardjono (Gubug Nyawang Giri), a qualified author under the pseudonym Agnes Yani Sardjono. This activity was held on Saturday, February 24, 2024, starting at 07.30 WIB until completion at Gubug Nyawang Giri-Sleman, in collaboration with PASBUJA (Paguyuban Sastra dan Budaya Jawa) Kawi Merapi Sleman through its Sleman School of Literature (S3). This community is supported by the community service program organized by Wiwien W. Rahayu, a lecturer in the Javanese Language, Literature, and Culture Study Program since 2022, on an ongoing basis.

The offer did not receive a variety of responses, except from six students who were interested in seizing the opportunity. These students are Dian Nitami, Maysa Putri, Siti Nurhayati, Pingky Putri, Ilman Nafia, and Nisrina Dyah.

“I want to learn to be a writer, develop ideas, and be interested in writing children’s stories,” was Nisrina’s reason for accepting the offer. Another reason for Maysa’s participation was “..to use it to raise my intention, enthusiasm, and motivation to write,” she explained. The same thing was also conveyed by Ilma Nafia and Dian Nitami. The positive energy given by the author through the story of his experience is one of the attractions of the student’s participation.  It could be that this can trigger a passion for fiction writing among Javanese Literature Study Program students. So that in the future, the response to existing opportunities will be more optimal.

Not just a hobby, the choice to become a writer is one of the offers made to students. The Javanese Language, Literature, and Culture Study Program is committed to providing strategic programs to support the development of fiction writing skills. The fulfillment of this is done seriously and continuously through the development of partnerships with various parties. Through the implementation of the tri dharma of higher education, this goal is expected to be achieved.

SDGs 4: Quality Education

In every corner of the Faculty of Cultural Sciences UGM, students can generally find a corner that is different from the rest of the faculty. One such corner is the departmental library, a library located in a particular study program that becomes a reference place for students of that department for literacy as well as a study and discussion space. The Archaeology UGM Department Library or Archaeology UGM Reference Room is one of the unique corner places within the Faculty of Cultural Sciences UGM.

Located in Margono Building, 2nd floor, Faculty of Cultural Sciences UGM, this library is often a common place for Archaeology UGM students who want to find a comfortable and conducive space. Several collections of archaeology and history books, cultural art books, magazines, journals, and theses are stored at the Archaeology UGM Department Library. Specific collections such as colonial, classical, Hindu-Buddhist, architecture, Islamic heritage, prehistory, and others can also be found in this library. UGM student visitors who want to find a particular book can search through the digital catalog available. Book borrowing is open to UGM students within the faculty and outside the faculty, as long as they register and pay a small fee of Rp5,000 to Rp30,000, for a membership card with a certain payment package.

“The book collection is quite large and gets most of it from donations, all donations. Purely 100% of the current book collection is from alumni, lecturers, Balai Arkeologi, and Mayangkara magazine,” said Aqsha Gunawan, Coordinator of the Archaeology UGM Department Library, regarding the comprehensive library collections and renewal of the existing collection.

In terms of routine management, the Archaeology UGM Department Library has some divisions in supporting library operations, namely the cataloging division, repair division, data entry division, and inventory division. Visitors who come can also enjoy safe and comfortable study room facilities along with certain fee infrastructure such as printing assignments, storing items, and purchasing the latest book collections. Operating hours take place during weekdays (Monday to Friday) with operating hours from 09.00-16.00 WIB.

SDGs 4: Quality Education | SDGs 5: Gender Equality | SDGs 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities | SDGs 17: Partnerships for the Goals

Being a college student is certainly one of the most valuable moments in an individual’s life. Their moment is utilized and strived to create significant impacts on the community environment. This act of virtue is realized by Maulita Shinta Maharani, a final year student of the English Department, Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Universitas Gadjah Mada, who has taken part in social contributions during her college years. Uli, her nickname, actively participates in several student and external activities, especially those around community relations and social service. She is experienced in cultural immersion and interaction with international students which adds to her insight and knowledge of inclusivity and diversity of cross-cultural backgrounds.

Uli’s journey to be an active student begins with her motivation when she entered college in her first year. Before that, she had not found a suitable student organization or activity for her, but that changed when she entered one of the most prestigious universities in Indonesia, Universitas Gadjah Mada. Uli had the opportunity to join many student organizations and activities that supported her development and growth in the environment she was interested in. Her organizational experiences include an internship at the UGM Office of International Affairs, Head of HRD at UGM Buddy Club, Research Assistant at the English Literature UGM, Academic and Development Staff at Women Beyond Indonesia, Founder of Amnesty Amawa Wikreti under Amnesty International Indonesia, Learning and Development Staff at HopeHelps Network, and currently active as Public Relations Staff at Faculty of Cultural Sciences ,UGM. Uli’s organizational activities led her to take one step further by applying for the Erasmus student exchange program and having the opportunity to become an Erasmus Awardee at Budapest Business University, Hungary.

Not only active in organizations and student activities, Uli has participated in student activities in the scope of culture, namely the Cultural Exchange to the National University of Singapore (NUS) held in October 2023 which aimed to explore multiculturalism in Singapore. At the same time, she also became a research assistant for NUS students who were conducting a research on local communities in Yogyakarta. The result of this activity was a book entitled “Harmony in Diversity: A Journey from Jogja to Singapore, and Back” which tells about the multiculturalism aspects in Singapore and Yogyakarta in particular.

In addition, her passion for writing has made her actively contribute to pouring his thoughts into articles published in several platforms. Some of the articles she has written are as follows:

• “Should Gender be Equal?”: Gender Inequality in Family Form
• “Who is more likely to benefit from child marriage? Children or parents?”: Child Marriage in Temanggung, Central Java
• Nyadran and the Interpretation of Ubarampe: An Annual Tradition to Welcome Ramadan in Temanggung, Central Java, Indonesia
• Fairy Tales vs Feminism
• Women Beyond Bias: Learning from A Figure, An Eye-opening Discussion with Prof. Wening Udasmoro on Multiple Subordination in the Workplace

Her focus on gender studies, diversity, and inclusivity, also made her take the initiative to serve socially by establishing an organization called Amnesty Amawa Wikreti, a human rights organization led by women affiliated with Amnesty International Indonesia. In 2023, she also participated in the Student Community Service-Community Empowerment Learning (KKN-PPM UGM), as part of the final activity for UGM students. Through this program, she participated in community service in Ofu Village, Timor Tengah Selatan, East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia, which made her become more interested in social service in remote areas and contributing to the service of educational development during the continuation of the program she was involved in.

“I really want to experience life, I want to spend my youth doing a lot of positive activities and building as many relationships as possible,” said Uli, reflecting on the positive experiences and activities she has gone through during her almost four years as a student.

Uli emphasizes the role of a supportive environment as the main source of her successful achievements and experiences to grow and develop. “My parents also gave me the freedom to participate in anything and choose my own path in life. Support from lecturers and the closest ones; Nanda Yulfi Chairunnisa and Steven Glenn Ravanelli Waromi also serves as an important point to grow.”

SDGs 4: Quality Education

On Monday, March 18, 2024, the Faculty of Cultural Sciences UGM held a socialization of the preparation of the 2024 RKAT for faculty-level student organizations which include, the Lembaga Eksekutif Mahasiswa (LEM FIB), Senat Mahasiswa FIB, Semi-Autonomous Student Organization, and Department Student Associations. The socialization was attended by association coaches, and representatives of faculty-level student organizations, with a presentation led by the Vice Dean for Academic and Student Affairs, Dr. Nur Saktiningrum, S.S., M.Hum., followed by the Head of the Student Affairs Unit, Dr. Wulan Tri Astuti, S.S., M.A., and a presentation by the FIB UGM finance staff. This socialization aims to assist student organizations in applying for funding from several student activities held at the FIB UGM campus. Therefore, the presentation of mechanisms and procedures for student activity budgets is expected so that students can easily follow the flow of financial administration.

The socialization began with a presentation of the total RKAT funds from BSO / HMJ and LEM FIB UGM along with the flow of signature approval for submitting proposals. Furthermore, the rules for giving honorariums and awards to speakers and competition participants. The socialization then ended with a question and answer session from faculty-level student organizations to financial staff regarding some issues and certain mechanisms. At the end of this socialization activity, it is hoped that each student organization can comply with the procedures and procedures that apply to carry out student activities at FIB UGM.

SDGs 4: Quality Education

Culture is an inherent part of human daily life. The importance of culture in everyday life cannot be separated from its essence which plays an important role in determining the identity of a society. The formation of a community’s identity can be formed with characteristics consisting of a variety of cultural elements, including language, knowledge, and art. The element of art is the main concern in seeing the uniqueness of a culture, one of the components of art that attracts a lot of attention is the art of music.

Rafi Karninto is a 2020 Faculty of Cultural Sciences Anthropology UGM student who has produced several musical artworks that combine local cultural diversity. Rafi, his nickname, started his musical journey in 2017. Initially, he started his musical journey by covering regional songs such as the cover of the first song from Banjar, called Saputangan Babuncu Ampat in November 2017. After successfully covering his first song on the YouTube platform, Rafi started his cultural content videos on his YouTube platform by bringing cultural elements to gaming, vlogs, and dance creations.

In 2019, Rafi released his first original song titled “Pantun Tidayu”. Interestingly, this song combines three different languages: Ahe (Dayak Kanayatn), Pontianak Malay, and Mandarin. These three languages were also inspired by the origins of the three ethnic groups in West Kalimantan.

“From the beginning of creating the song, I enjoyed experimenting by blending music from different cultures into one piece,” Rafi said about the cultural musical work he has created.

Not only does Rafi sing songs in different languages, but he also arranges and orchestrates the arrangements of the songs he creates. Two of Rafi’s latest songs, titled “Pemuda” and “Jatinegara,” showcase his talent and ability in musical instruments. The song “Pemuda” was initially composed for a dance creation to commemorate Youth Pledge Day on October 28th while he was interning at the Youth Pledge Museum. In this song, he arranged the instrumentation to be adapted to the music of the 1920s era, while still incorporating ethnic elements from 7 regions that participated in the Second Youth Congress.

“As for the song ‘Jatinegara,’ the inspiration comes from my own neighborhood, Jatinegara District, which has a history from the colonial period and has interesting places to explore. The music uses Betawi gambang kromong with additional modern elements,” Rafi explained about the background of developing the song “Jatinegara,” which he created on March 9th, 2024.

From the various cultural works he has created and preserved, Rafi hopes to collaborate more with various artists and other cultural content creators in the future. He also hopes that his own works and those of cultural enthusiasts can continuously preserve local and Indonesian culture by having opportunities to showcase their works at various events.

To listen to more of Rafi’s music creations, readers can visit a dedicated page containing Rafi’s music works at this link.