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 | SDGs 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities | SDGs 17: Partnerships For The Goals

On Friday, March 8, 2024, as many as 16 UGM Archaeology students accompanied by three Department of Archaeology lecturers participated in the Borobudur Youth Engage 2024. This program is part of the cultural introduction program from UNESCO to youth, especially university students. The Borobudur Youth Engage 2024 program with UNESCO Jakarta collaborates with some universities such as Universitas Gadjah Mada through the Faculty of Cultural Sciences UGM, Atma Jaya University, and Tidar University. In this activity, UGM Archaeology participated in a tour around Borobudur Temple and Borobudur Temple Tourism Area to learn the history of archaeological remains and management of cultural heritage management.

The UGM Archaeology group departed from the Faculty of Cultural Sciences UGM at 05.30 WIB and arrived at Borobudur Temple at 06.30 WIB. When arriving at the location, the UGM Archaeology group went to the registration desk and was given special equipment in the form of sandals called upanat sandals. Upanat means footwear which is suitable to be mentioned as special sandals that must be used when visiting Borobudur Temple as a preventive measure from the Borobudur Conservation Center to prevent damage to the temple’s andesite stones. Uniquely, the shape of these upanat sandals follows the shape of the footwear found on Karmawibhangga Relief No. 150 from the walls of Borobudur Temple.

After registration, UGM Archaeology students including Atma Jaya University and Tidar University students visited the pavilion not far from the registration location to watch historical presentations and introduction of supporting sites around the Borobudur Temple area. After watching the presentation, the students departed on foot to the Borobudur Temple courtyard area. Arriving at the courtyard area, the students were assisted by a guide who explained the points of interest around the Borobudur Temple area which is a tourist attraction that is often visited by domestic and foreign visitors. The guide then invited the group to climb Borobudur Temple for a further tour of the meaning of the reliefs and statues around the temple.

After the temple tour ended, the group of students and lecturers visited one of the cultural heritage sites around Borobudur Temple, namely the Brongsongan Site. At this site, students are invited to have an interactive discussion with questions and answers about the Brongsongan Site which has some temple-style relics. After visiting the Brongsongan Site, the group followed the last agenda which was a meeting session and presentation by successful figures from the management of the Borobudur Temple area, one of which was the famous Batik Nawasena craft to the international scene.

This activity ended at 14.00 WIB, with the UGM Archaeology group returning to the Faculty of Cultural Sciences UGM. The implementation of one of several activities from UNESCO is a start for UGM Archaeology students to recognize and learn more about local cultural heritage.

SDGs 4: Quality Education | SDGs 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth | SDGs 17: Partnerships for the Goals

Yogyakarta, Wednesday, February 28, 2024 – The Arabic Literature Study Program of Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) held a Public Lecture entitled “The Importance of Arabic Literature in the Contemporary World of Work” on Wednesday (28/2) at the Auditorium of Soegondo Building 7th Floor, Faculty of Arts UGM. The event was attended by Dr. Zulfa Purnamawati, S.S., M.Hum., Chairperson of the Arabic Literature Study Program, Arief Budiman, S.S., M.A., as Ikmasa supervisor, and two inspiring speakers, Afifatul Munjidah and Muhammad Egata Asysyakur, alumni of Arabic Literature UGM who are successful in various fields.

This Public Lecture aims to equip Arabic Literature students with insights and knowledge about broad job opportunities in the contemporary era. Afifatul Munjidah, an alumnus of the Arabic Literature class of 2013 who is active in the field of education and entrepreneurship, shared her experience in building a multidimensional career. Afif is a practitioner teacher in the Kampus Merdeka program, partnership staff at Baitul Maal Nurul Ashri, and the owner of Moen House Id and Moenjastip. He emphasized the importance of having plans and strategies to achieve goals, as well as always striving to develop themselves.

Meanwhile, Muhammad Egata Asysyakur, an alumnus of the Arabic Literature class of 2015 Assistant Manager of Sheikh Muhammad Jaber, and Founder of PT Albalad Alameen Indonesia, told his inspiring story of building a company engaged in Hajj and Umrah, halal tourism, da’wah events, and publishing. He motivated the students to focus on completing their responsibilities because Allah will not change the condition of a people until they change themselves.

This public lecture was closed with a question and answer session from the students. It is hoped that by organizing this event, UGM Arabic Literature students will be more motivated to develop their potential and achieve broad job opportunities in various fields.

SGDs 4: Quality Education | SDGs 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities | SGDs 17: Partnerships For The Goals

On Monday, February 26, 2024, 16.00-17.30 WIB, the UGM Japanese Language and Culture Study Program (BKJ) held an offline light discussion on the topic ‘Current State of Japan’ with Aoyama Tooru, Ph. D. who is an Emeritus Professor from Tokyo University of Foreign Studies. The discussion was attended by lecturers and students of BKJ UGM from all active batches.

The discussion agenda was opened with an explanation of the current condition of Japan by Aoyama-sensei. Coinciding with the new year 2024, January 1, 2024, in Japan, precisely Noto in Ishikawa Prefecture faced an earthquake measuring 7.6 on the Richter Scale at 14.10 local time. The earthquake not only damaged many public facilities and homes but also affected the access roads to the affected areas. The severe damage hampered access to disaster relief by the Japanese government. The affected area is a rural area filled with elderly people, so most victims have difficulty moving quickly in a precarious situation. Alas, the earthquake and its damage have the potential to make the area disappear from the map of Japan. This is because young people in Japan are choosing to live in cities with better facilities. Based on Aoyama-sensei’s explanation, the session continued with a dynamic and interactive question-and-answer session. Afterward, the discussion session was characterized by various questions about current social issues or problems in Japanese society. One of them was the link between the shoushikoureika (少子高齢化) problem, known as the problem of low birth rate and high elderly population, and the future of Japan.

The discussion with Aoyama-Sensei gave Japanese Language and Culture students valuable experience that can improve their critical thinking skills. By studying social cases in Japan, students not only broaden their horizons but also hone their creativity in formulating solutions to existing or even similar problems in Indonesia. This activity is a window of inspiration for students to learn and enrich their perspective on the current condition of Japan.

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

On Thursday, February 22, 2024, at 10:00-15:00 WIB, the Japanese Language and Culture Study Program (BKJ) UGM held an Educational Collaboration activity with Ferris Women University (FWU) from Yokohama, Japan. The activity which became a means of cultural exchange was attended by Sato Akira, Ph.D. as an accompanying lecturer along with 3 Ferris Women University students, as well as lecturers and students of the Japanese Language and Culture Study Program. After the reception by the Head of the Department of Japanese Language and Culture UGM, Tatang Hariri, M.A., Ph.D., lecturers and students of FWU entered the lecture class to conduct discussions and exchange information with UGM students.

The collaboration was divided into two sessions. The first session was with first-year students and the second session was with third-year students. In both sessions, FWU students and BKJ UGM students were divided into three groups to discuss several themes using Japanese. For the first session, the topic of discussion was the differences in student life in Indonesia and Japan, while the second session with third-year students, they discussed the culture and work system in Indonesia and Japan. After the discussion, each group presented the results or important points of their respective discussions using Japanese.

For the academic community, knowledge of cultural differences in various aspects of life is considered important. This is because in addition to being a means to enrich knowledge, knowing cultural differences also increases students’ ability to adapt to other cultures. This educational collaboration activity is expected to train critical thinking skills and encourage students to innovate from the perspectives gained in group discussions. As stated in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), this collaboration can be a means to build quality education and as a foundation for creating global partnerships.

Japanese Language and Culture Study in discussion with Ferris Women University students