SDG 17: Partnerships for the goals | SDGs 17: Global partnership | SDG 16: Peace, justice and strong institution | SDGs 16: Conflict resolution | SDG 11: Sustainable cities and communities | SDGs 11: Community

On Tuesday, February 13th 2024 at 1 until 3 pm, the UGM Japanese Language and Culture Study Program held a public lecture on the topic “Will Japan become a ‘normal country’?: Changes in the Defense Debate Before and After the Outbreak of The Ukraine War ” which was delivered by researchers and teaching staff at the Graduate School of International Cooperation Studies from Kobe University, (Ass. Prof.) Masato Nakahara. This Public Lecture was the opening for the 2023/2024 even semester lecture activities which were attended by lecturers and students of the Japanese Language and Culture Study Program, as well as students from outside the study program who were interested in Japanese issues.

In the first part, Nakahara-sensei explained the history of the formation of the Jieitai (Japanese Self-Defense Forces) after Japan’s defeat in World War II and changed in the position of the Jieitai during the Allied occupation as regulated in the Showa Constitution which was in effect to this day. The restrictions on Jieitai activities regulated in the Showa Constitution meant that Japan’s military activities were very limited, including when there was a war outside Japan, such as Russia’s war with Ukraine, which is still ongoing today. Japan’s position in relation to security and world peace is a dilemma because sending war troops abroad violates the mandate of the Shouwa Constitution, while on the other hand the international world wants Japan to play an active role in sending war troops. Especially in the current era where changes in the global political constellation after the Cold War are increasingly dynamic and real, Japan, which is required to always prioritize peace as mandated by the Shouwa Constitution (Heiwa Kenpou), needs to look for new interpretations so that it can become a ‘normal’ country, namely a country that on the one hand can maintain sovereignty, and on the other hand can play a role in world peace. After the presentation session by Nakahara-sensei, the public lecture continued with a discussion and question and answer session which was very dynamic and filled with various questions from the public lecture participants regarding Japan’s attitude and position in relation to international conflicts, geopolitical changes in East Asia and Indonesia.

Understanding the position of Japan in the context of global change is considered important for the study program’s academic community because apart from being a means of updating information related to current issues regarding the country of Japan, it is also a means of learning and inspiration for research themes concerning Japanese issues. More than that, through forums like this, cooperation between study programs and foreign institutions can be further enhanced and can become a means for study programs to facilitate their academic community to be able to move more globally, in accordance with one of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), namely developing global partnerships for development.

SDGS 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth | SDGs 17: Partnership for the Goals

On Tuesday, February 13th, 2024, Universitas Gadjah Mada through the UGM Public Relations, News, and Protocol Office held a Technical Guidance with the theme “Management of Universitas Gadjah Mada Social Media” for public relations, protocol, and news staff in the UGM work unit environment which was held in the Auditorium of the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, from 09.00 – 12.00 WIB. To strengthen the university’s public relations function, UGM presented several speakers from the UGM Public Relations, News, and Protocol Office to present the material themes. This aligns with providing information services to the public about events, events, and information around UGM.

The Technical Guidance session began with a speech from the Deputy Dean for Alumni, Cooperation, and Innovation, Dr. Fajar Adi Kusumo, S.Si., M.Sc., who stated that the publication of activities carried out in the UGM environment could be a source of inspiration for the wider community, therefore it is necessary to have qualified knowledge to manage information for the public, especially information that is shared through social media. In line with this, Mrs. Hestining Kurniastutim, S.S., M.B.A., Head of the UGM Public Relations, News, and Protocol Office, also stated the high urgency of social media, as well as the traffic of the existence of the official pages of each unit which affects the ups and downs of information accessibility caused by the increasingly rapid communication.

The Technical Guidance session was then continued with a presentation of material that mapped the segmentation of social media users from each social media platform, the objectives of building social media content, efforts to increase engagement from social media content, the characteristics of content for public information, and the stages of production of content for social media. The presentation of the material ended with the opening of a question and answer session from the faculty, department, and other UGM work units regarding the management of social media on several platforms, copywriting, content feedback management, engaging influencers or important UGM figures, and finding a balance in content creation.

SDGS 4: Quality Education | SDGS 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth | SDGS 17: Partnership for the Goals

Yogyakarta, 05 February 2024 – Merdeka Belajar Kampus Merdeka (MBKM) opens opportunities for students to broaden their horizons and hone their skills outside the classroom. This was proven by the students of Arabic Literature at Gadjah Mada University who had participated in internships at various institutions, such as the DIY Regional Police, PT KAI Daop 6 Yogyakarta, and the Sleman Religious Court.

During the internship, students had the opportunity to develop various soft skills and hard skills, such as communication skills, creative thinking, writing, problem solving, and content creation. This experience helped them to be better prepared to enter the world of work and answer current industry needs.

At the DIY Regional Police, students had the opportunity to study in the PSDM section to learn on preparing quality and highly competitive human resources. At PT KAI Daop 6 Yogyakarta, students were placed in the public relations department who studied news writing, news reporting and social media content creation. Meanwhile, at the Sleman Religious Court, students were placed in the service section where they learned how to communicate with litigants and how to mediate to reach a peaceful solution.

Through the MBKM program, students had the opportunity to develop themselves and prepare themselves to face the world of work. Through internships at various institutions, they gained hands-on experience and learned about various fields. With this, it is hoped that students will become qualified and highly competitive graduates.

In preparation for the implementation of Posbindu PTM activities, HPU FIB UGM held training activities for Posbindu cadres. This activity was carried out over two days. On the first day, Monday 6th of February 2024, material provision about Posbindu was held in the Multimedia Room of Margono Building, 2nd Floor, Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Gadjah Mada University. The event opened promptly at 8 am and continued with the Pre test. Furthermore, the delivery of material related to the introduction of HPU, introduction to Posbindu PTM, assessment of risk factors for PTM, assessment of nutritional status and nutritional education, measurements at Posbindu, recording and reporting at Posbindu, consultation on examination results and education at table 5, safety at Posbindu, and first aid in an accident. After being provided with some of these materials, participants took the post test.

The second day’s event was held the following day, it was Wednesday, 7th of February 2024 in Courtroom 1 of Poerbatjaraka Building, 1st Floor,  Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Gadjah Mada University at 8 am until 12.15 pm. Because on the first day the participants were presented with basic material regarding Posbindu and so on, on the second day the participants were encouraged to practice. The Posbindu training participants carried out the Posbindu table 5 simulations and exercises with enthusiasm and passion, then immediately carried out the second post test to see the progress they had made as Posbindu cadres after receiving the material and training during the two-day event.

This event received cooperation and assistance from Mr./Mrs. UGM HPU Team. Head of HPU UGM, Prof. Dra. Yayi Suryo Prabandari, M.Sc., PhD, had the opportunity to directly accompany the training participants as a speaker regarding examination activities in posbindu and health check practices (measuring blood pressure and taking blood samples to check cholesterol, sugar and uric acid levels). He received a direct invitation from the Deputy Dean for Finance, Assets and Human Resources, namely Mr. Suray Agung Nugroho, M.A., Ph.D. The Posbindu cadre training was attended by staff from the Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Gadjah Mada University. The targets of Posbindu services are all staff, both lecturers and teaching staff in the faculty environment.

Long distance travel from Surabaya to Yogyakarta apparently did not prevent them from continuing to show their enthusiasm when listening, watching, and discussing everything about the Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Gadjah Mada University on Wednesday, February 7th 2024. Starting from the quiz session to the question and answer session, they were very enthusiastic about fighting to be appointed. The questions they asked were insightful and very varied, some asked about scholarships, the registration system, and the activities they would do if they were the students here. These high school students have had an interest in the social sector from the start, seeing from the major they take which is social studies, many of them dream of continuing their education at this faculty. The majors they wanted were very diverse, there were tourism, archaeology, Korean language and culture, Japanese literature, and others.

One of the teacher representatives who gave the opening speech repeatedly expressed his gratitude and thanks for the warm welcome they received, and hoped that in the future they would produce many superior generations who were able to compete and were worthy of being part of Gadjah Mada University student. Two other teachers who were also in the group were very humble enough to take the time to shake hands and joke around for a while before leaving the room. Apart from warm greetings, they also gave souvenirs and large parcels in the form of typical Surabaya souvenirs which they brought from far away. After having a light chat before going back, a group photo session was held. This visit ended with a very pleasant impression. The students and accompanying teachers continued their visit by going around to see the environment in the Faculty of Cultural Sciences while occasionally capturing the moment with their cell phone cameras.