SGDs 4: Quality Education | SGDs 17: Partnerships For The Goals

On Thursday, 29th of February 2024, English Department UGM accepted a visit from the representative of Oberlin Shansi, Mr. Gavin Tritt, to discuss new collaboration programs between two universities that have undergone seventy-years of partnership. One of the programs discussed is Oberlin Shansi’s Visiting Scholar Program, once participated in by Mr. Adi Sutrisno, the Head of the English Department. The Oberlin Shansi’s Visiting Scholar Program is a fully funded program by Oberlin Shansi which allows the English Department lecturers to improve their scholarly growth. 

During the stay at Oberlin, the lecturers will do various activities: auditing courses to observe undergraduate teaching, learning new research methodologies, developing their academic writing, utilizing college resources and faculty mentorship to develop research projects and proposals, and many more. Upon their return from this program, the participating lecturers are expected to share their experiences during their stay at Oberlin, mentor other faculty members who are searching for international opportunities, and continue the collaboration with Oberlin Shansi. The program typically lasts for a semester, but Oberlin Shansi welcomes lecturers who proposed shorter visits as well. 

This program will provide opportunities for English Department lecturers to gain new insight and experiences for their professional development. Along with other forms of collaboration, Oberlin Shansi’s Visiting Scholar Program will help to strengthen the partnership between the English Department and Oberlin Shansi.

SDGs 4: Quality Education

The month of Ramadan is not only a time for spiritual introspection but also for strengthening community bonds. In Jogokariyan, a bustling community in Yogyakarta, a 2020 English Literature student named Putri has been actively involved in enlivening Ramadan activities that bring joy and spiritual fulfillment to herself and the surrounding community.

Putri, who lives just a few steps away from Masjid Jogokariyan, has been an integral part of various mosque activities since her childhood. Initially joining as a member of the children’s group, she gradually transitioned into a teenage committee member. Even during her university years, she took on responsibilities in organizing and participating in special Ramadan events.

One of Putri’s significant roles during Ramadan is her involvement in the organization of “Kampoeng Ramadhan Jogokariyan” (KRJ), a community initiative aimed at enhancing the Ramadan experience for local residents and the wider community. This year, Putri served as a committee member for the KRJ 2024 “Itikaf” event. Itikaf involves worshiping in the mosque for the last 10 days of Ramadan. Alongside a friend, Putri managed the registration process, answered participant questions, collected participant data, and supervised the registration process on the event day. Additionally, they served the congregation during the last 10 days of Ramadan by being on standby at the location while also participating in worship.

Her three-year tenure as an Itikaf committee member has provided valuable experiences for Putri, especially in matters of faith and spirituality. Through this, she had the opportunity to interact with diverse participants, including elderly individuals. For Putri, this was particularly fascinating as she witnessed their high spirits in worship, regardless of their age. This served as a reminder for Putri that worship knows no age. In fact, during the holy month of Ramadan, they compete in performing good deeds.

Despite being relatively younger compared to other committee members, Putri and her friends have demonstrated remarkable dedication and organizational skills. Their efforts have received positive feedback from participants, emphasizing the importance of teamwork and coordination in executing community agendas. Furthermore, the involvement of her younger sibling and cousin served as great motivation for Putri.

In addition to her involvement in KRJ, Putri and her friends volunteer as “Plate Volunteers” every afternoon before iftar. Their task is to distribute snacks and drinks to the congregation before breaking their fast. This experience has also been very enjoyable for Putri. Because every afternoon, Masjid Jogokariyan provides more than 3500 portions of iftar for anyone who comes. Interestingly, Ramadan 2024 was the most festive Ramadan due to the numerous activities at the mosque. Moreover, these activities have gained a lot of attention from the wider community thanks to social media influencers who shared Ramadan vibes in Jogokariyan on TikTok and Instagram.

Putri’s dedication to community service during Ramadan reflects the spirit of peace, unity, and devotion that characterizes this holy month. Through her involvement in various events, she not only enriches the Ramadan experience for her community but also embodies high values of empathy and solidarity. Putri’s experiences, journey, and commitment to serving the community are expected to inspire her peers and other community members.

Photo 1: A documentation of Putri when she was becoming the “Plate Volunteers”

SDGs 4: Quality Education

Devi Ayu Lisdiana, commonly known as Devi, is a student from the English Department who excels in the sports of Pencak Silat and Kickboxing. During the Rapat Senat held on Tuesday, March 5, 2024, she was awarded as one of the outstanding students (mapres) in the Faculty of Cultural Sciences, UGM.

It all started when she saw a post about the faculty’s anniversary on FIB’s Instagram account. She then consulted with several lecturers in the English Deparment. This resulted in the decision that the Head of the English Department, Dr. Adi Sutrisno, M.A., proposed Devi to be one of the outstanding students.

Here are the various achievements accomplished by Devi:

1. Runner-up at the AUB CUP 2021 Open Pencak Silat Tournament
2. Runner-up at the PORDA XVI DIY 2022 Pencak Silat
3. 1st place in the Women’s Low Kick Exhibition Kickboxing Category at PORDA XVI DIY 2022
4. 1st place in Class D Women’s Pencak Silat at the DIY Regional Championship 2023
5. Runner-up in Class D Women’s at the 2022 National Invitational Inter-College Championship UNY
6. 1st place in Class E Women’s Pencak Silat Tournament Grobogan 1 Open 2023
7. Runner-up in the Women’s Low Kick category at the 2023 Rambo Kickboxing
8. 1st place in the UPY CUP IV 2023 National Pencak Silat Championship
9. Runner-up in the Pre-PON Kickboxing 2023

This serves as evidence that non-academic achievements are just as important as academic ones. Devi is proof that balancing academic and non-academic achievements is crucial. She undoubtedly went through various long processes before successfully achieving these championships. She often faced failures, which she used as fuel to rise again and continue her journey.

May Devi’s journey and her myriad of achievements serve as motivation for students at Universitas Gadjah Mada, especially in the Faculty of Cultural Sciences, to always rise again even after thousand failures because failure is not the end of everything.

Congratulations to Devi Ayu Lisdiana!

SDGs 4: Quality Education | SDGs 5: Gender Equality

International Women’s Day (IWD) is commemorated every March 8th. In 2024, IWD carries the theme #InspireInclusion, focusing on supporting the establishment of an inclusive environment.

Renada Latifah Firdaus, an alumni of the English Department who joined HopeHelps Network. This community is dedicated to addressing and preventing cases of sexual violence in university environment. The HopeHelps Network has local chapters spread across 17 universities in Indonesia, including one at Universitas Gadjah Mada. On this occasion, Renada aimed to share her ideas about fostering inclusivity on campus.

She said that on IWD 2024, there is much to celebrate after the long struggle for gender equality and the rights of gender minorities. However, there are still pressing issues today, with women and other gender minorities experiencing discrimination, objectification, and injustice. Most women are not feeling safe even in public spaces, due to the constant threat of sexual violence.

Renada, often called Rere, emphasized that International Women’s Day can only be truly celebrated when all women are included, regardless of identity, background, profession, beliefs, and life choices. Every woman deserves to feel safe, receive equal pay, and not experience oppression or gender-based violence.

Joining HopeHelps Network in 2022 with the goal of contributing to positive action against sexual violence on campuses, Rere serves as the Director of Human Resources Development (PSDM). By actively providing training for all HopeHelps members, she believes in the significance of her efforts. She also mentioned that, within the network, she has not encountered situations where individuals are treated differently. This is because HopeHelps Network consistently strives to create an inclusive environment for everyone that is actively supporting, listening to, and advocating for anyone in need. The community places a strong emphasis on providing support for sexual violence victims, primarily women, on college campuses to provide accessible step to justice.

In conclusion, Rere emphasized that the crucial message from IWD 2024 encourages us to ensure that inclusivity is achieved comprehensively, as it is one of the most important things to live in diversity. “We need to empower each other, stick together, and be there for each other during the hardships. No one is left behind; we are in this together.”

Rere’s involvement in this organization serves as tangible proof that anyone can actively contribute to create an inclusive environment. Whether it be professors, educational staff, students, or alumni, everyone can take real action to promote inclusivity. Hopefully, it will inspire more people to be aware and contribute to this issue. The university itself that has students from various regions across Indonesia, should be a safe and comfortable home for them, where they can grow and express themselves without any discrimination.

It feels different when we step into things beyond our abilities, it feels different when literature students take part in hackathon competitions, and it is still different when women enter business and even lead. This was what actually wanted to be achieved in the 2023 UNESCO-UNITWIN Advanced Workshop & Hackathon program at Sookmyung Women’s University (SMU), Seoul, South Korea in November-December 2023. Bulan Churniati, an English Literature student at the Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Gadjah Mada University, had never expected that this program would enable her to compete on the international stage and at the same time experience traveling abroad for the first time.

This was not a trivial journey, this program required us to first be selected from hundreds of internal university students, then took part in training and whoever was the best would represent Gadjah Mada University at the international level later. It was truly an honor that Bulan must be proud of to have had this extraordinary experience, even though it might be a bit of a burden to show her best as a representative of the best university in Indonesia. The reason was, there were many creative ideas from competing countries, such as Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia—from ideas for making audiobooks, applications to reduce fast fashion, health, and many more. However, the student topic given required the participants to hold their heads high by discussing MSME issues which certainly produced results.

Before taking part in this training, Bulan admitted that she was still too afraid to start her own business and only focused on the theoretical enthusiasm she initiated – PKM-K about entrepreneurship, business case and business plan competitions, and creating content for other people’s MSMEs. Until APWINC came along and gave her lots of ideas, relationships and the courage to start and develop her own online shop, yes, a small step but the most meaningful in 2023. “Thank you for the support of PIKA UGM as a companion and provider of all information, FIB UGM as a beloved faculty, and UNESCO for its extraordinary program, as well as all parties involved. The word ‘finished’ will not stop my passion, but will make me thirstier to learn—wait for me here to share more stories.” said Bulan Churniati.