There is amount total of 4,504 UGM students will join KKN-PPM Online Period 2 of 2020 from 29 June to 18 August 2020. There are entire distribution teams to 178 locations covering 27 provinces, 77 districts/cities, 143 districts and 263 villages. According to the plan of the Minister of Education and Culture, Nadiem Makarim will launch the UGM Online KKM-PPM jump launch online Monday (29/6).
"During their stay at the worksite, as much as 178 Field Supervisors (DPL) and 16 Regional Coordinators will guide the students," said the Director of Dedication to the UGM Community, Prof. Irfan Prijambada on Saturday (27/6).
Irfan said that before participating in the UGM Community Service, the students had attended the debriefing from 29 February to 3 April 2020 by speakers from various faculties. Not only that, but they also received special provisions including among other DESA Apps, PIAT Waste Management and Online Training on Planning (ONTOP) Village Development Planning Training Online.
Since the outbreak of Covid-19 UGM has conducted Online KKN Period 1 from 12 March to 30 April and Period 6 from 4 May to 22 June.
Covid-19 does not stop us from our devotion to the community.
Although the Covid-19 pandemic is still ongoing, it does not dampen the enthusiasm of the students and DPLs involved in the KKN PPM UGM. They remain enthusiastic about implementing KKN Online as said by Galuh Adi Insani, S.Pt., M.Sc, DPL from the Faculty of Animal Husbandry.
Galuh is a DPL assigned by the Directorate of Community Service in the Kokap Unit, Kulonprogo for two periods (period one and period 6). Incidentally, during Period 1 in his assignment, he experienced 2 phases of KKN, namely KKN at the location (Desa Kalirejo and Desa Hargorejo, Kokap, Kulonprogo). He had to withdraw his students on the 7th day because of Covid-19 pandemic.
"At that time it was decided from UGM that the Community Service Program conducted online so that students were drawn back to their respective boarding houses and run the Community Service Program online," he said.
Galuh said, although conducted online, the enthusiasm of students was extraordinary. Moreover, he also gives freedom to students to express and carry out activities according to existing guidelines.
"So, there are those who help find educational material, so they are members of the task force in their city, raising funds from partners to working together with religious organizations in the distribution of aid. We all did the coordination online," he said.
Even though there are some obstacles such as signal and face-to-face with residents who are not so intense, creativity and ideas still emerge during the Online Community Service during the Covid-19 period. If in Period 1 they joined to support DERU UGM, UGM RSA and DPKM to make face shields, hand sanitizers, soap, education to the community. While in Period 6 with the same village location, they could create podcasts on Spotify. Besides, they also develop websites and make KKN books Online: Evidence of Consecrated Gadjah Mada Unrestricted by Pandemic and Policy Brief (Covid-19 Mitigation Based on Javanese Local Knowledge-Based on Wong Jowo Ojo Ilang Jawane).
One of the Galuh guidance students, Fernando Galang Rahmadana from FISIPOL, rated the Online Community Service Program to be an extraordinary moment especially for students to review the intentions, goals, and essence of the Community Service Program as a service process. He acknowledged that KKN implementation with an online system was not easy, especially since there were no references from KKN in previous periods.
"This condition is a challenge as well as an opportunity for students to take part in helping the community so that the community can feel the real presence of students through KKN. This event is at the same time to reinforce the position of students running Tridarma Perguruan Tinggi," Fernando said.
Forge KKN on a Long Journey
Talking about UGM KKN cannot be separated from the presence of the Mobilization of Student Workers (PTM). At that time, around 1951-1962 UGM sent volunteer students to teach and establish high schools outside Java. There are 1,218 students involved and 109 high schools succeeded on islands outside Java.
At present, the KKN PPM UGM almost implemented in all provinces in Indonesia. KKN, which involves cross-disciplines, has also changed its paradigm from Development to Empowerment.
In its journey, KKN UGM continues to overgrow in various programs so that it is recognized worldwide. Some universities abroad also want to adopt from existing programs. Several universities abroad are interested in the KKN PPM UGM program and plan to take the similar application, including Adger College University (Norway), Hanseo University and Seoul Women University (South Korea), Hiroshima Economic University and Kyushu University (Japan). Thus, it emphasizes UGM as a "Locally rooted, Globally Respected" populist campus.
Author: Satria
Photo: KKN Kalirejo, Kokap