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 Saturday, 9 December 2023, the Faculty of Cultural Sciences (FIB) held a short trip called Dolan Bareng event in Wanagama Forest, which was attended by FIB exchange students throughout Indonesia and international exchange students who are currently studying at FIB UGM. This activity aims to strengthen the bonds between students while providing an opportunity for refreshing after undergoing the end-of-semester exams.

The students departed from FIB UGM to Wanagama Forest using a bus. Upon their arrival, the group was warmly greeted with welcome drinks and snacks by the tour guide. While the students mingled and enjoyed their snacks, Prof. Dr Setiadi, M.Si., Dean of the Faculty, officially opened the event. The Vice Dean for Academic and Student Affairs, Dr Nur Saktiningrum, S.S., M.Hum, also gave a short briefing before the group started the journey through Wanagama Forest.

Following the path that had been prepared, the group of students explored the Wanagama Forest while getting to know the biodiversity in it. At the end of the trip, they were introduced to the typical Wanagama honeybee cultivation and invited to taste honey directly from the source. The activity was closed with lunch together before the group returned to the FIB UGM campus.

The Dolan Bareng event succeeded in creating valuable moments of togetherness amidst nature, involving students from various regions and countries. In addition, the Dolan Bareng agenda is in line with UGM’s commitment to accelerate the achievement of sustainable development goals (SDGs) point 4, namely Quality Education.

On Monday, 27 November 2023, the Tourism Study Programme of the Faculty of Cultural Sciences Universitas Gadjah Mada (Tourism Study Programme FIB UGM) received a guest visit from Management and Science University Malaysia (MSU). This visit is part of the University Visit activity which is held with the main purpose of conducting a comparative study between the Tourism Study Programmes of the Faculty of Cultural Sciences UGM and MSU Malaysia.

The forum began with a warm welcome from Wiwik Sushartami, a representative of the UGM Tourism study programme, which was then followed by remarks from Nur Amirah, who represented MSU as a substitute for the dean. The first session of the schedule started with a brief presentation on the profile of Management and Science University (MSU). In this session, Mrs Nur Amirah gave a comprehensive overview of MSU (what is MSU, how is their remark in Malaysian education etc). Furthermore, the forum continued with art performances (dancing and singing) from MSU students. This art performance’s purpose entirely covers the richness of Malaysian culture.The next session from MSU was followed by an in-depth presentation on Malaysian culture delivered by their students.

After that, the Tourism Study Programme of FIB UGM introduced its study programme, including the profiles of several teaching staff who play a role in the formation of the next generation in the field of tourism. Interesting information was also delivered through presentations about Pancoh Tourism Village and Jogja Philosophical Axis by Tourism Study Programme students.

The QnA session was the highlight of the interaction between the students of Tourism Study Programme of FIB UGM and MSU. In this session, there were a lot of interesting questions asked by both Tourism study programme students and MSU students. Both sides showed great interest in each other’s culture. In closing, the University Visit ended with a group photo session and a short campus tour, giving a positive final impression and strengthening the relationship between educational institutions. This event not only opened up space for academic discussions but also enriched cross-cultural experiences for all participants.