Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) has deployed 8,178 students through its Community Service Program-Community Empowerment Learning (KKN-PPM) to carry out community engagement activities across 32 provinces in Indonesia. In North Sumatra, UGM assigned 143 students to five units: three in Samosir Regency and one each in Sibolga City and Asahan Regency.
During a meeting with North Sumatra Governor Bobby Afif Nasution at the Governor’s Office on June 22, the governor specifically encouraged UGM field supervisors and KKN-PPM students to conduct educational programs and in-depth studies to help combat drug abuse in the province.
“Mr. Bobby expressed his gratitude to the UGM Rector for deploying KKN students to North Sumatra. The governor noted that North Sumatra currently ranks first in Indonesia for drug abuse cases and asked UGM to contribute to addressing this challenge,” said RM. Mulyanta, Chair of the North Sumatra Kagama Regional Chapter, during a meeting with UGM Rector Professor Ova Emilia and Indonesia’s Deputy Minister of Communication and Digital Affairs, Nezar Patria, in Medan on Saturday (Jul. 4).
Quoting Governor Bobby’s remarks, Mulyanta, who accompanied the KKN-PPM students during the audience, said UGM could contribute ideas to strengthen drug prevention through early education for younger generations.
“It may not be possible to implement this across all areas of North Sumatra immediately, but at least one location could serve as a pilot project where UGM contributes research findings and policy recommendations,” he explained.
According to Mulyanta, the governor’s request aims to reduce North Sumatra’s ranking as the province with the highest rate of drug abuse in Indonesia.
“The governor asked us to convey this message to the Rector so that UGM can help ensure North Sumatra is no longer ranked first and collaborate with universities and the National Narcotics Agency (BNN) in the province,” he said.
Responding to the request, Professor Emilia said UGM would follow up by coordinating with the KKN-PPM management team and experts from relevant disciplines to conduct in-depth studies from anthropological and sociological perspectives on preventing drug trafficking and abuse among young people.
“Drug abuse is a national problem that has become deeply rooted in society. We need to understand it through anthropological and sociological perspectives. We will carry out comprehensive studies so that many collaborative initiatives can be developed in the future,” said Professor Emilia.
Professor Emilia also expressed her appreciation for the attention given by the North Sumatra Governor and the North Sumatra Kagama Regional Chapter to the deployment of UGM students in the province.
“We continue to improve the KKN program, especially with the establishment of the KKN Task Force, which will strengthen the program’s impact. We hope every KKN initiative leaves a lasting legacy and that the contributions of both KKN students and Kagama can be well documented through the programs that have been implemented,” she said.
During a meeting with the leadership of the North Sumatra and Aceh Kagama regional chapters, Professor Emilia also expressed her appreciation for their collaboration in assisting communities affected by the devastating floods that struck Aceh last November. The affected areas are now entering the rehabilitation and reconstruction phase as communities work toward long-term recovery.
Aceh Kagama Regional Chair M. Nasir, who also serves as the Regional Secretary of Aceh Province, said he was deeply moved by the Rector’s visit to Aceh Tamiang, particularly because many residents are still facing difficult conditions following the disaster.
“I would like to thank the Rector for visiting Aceh Tamiang with us to see the results of our collaboration with Kagama. Since the third day after the disaster, we have worked together to provide logistical assistance and support reconstruction efforts from North Aceh to Aceh Tamiang,” he said.
According to Nasir, the synergy between UGM and Kagama has significantly supported disaster response and recovery efforts in Aceh. He hopes for stronger collaboration among the Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra Kagama regional chapters to help restore local economies in disaster-affected communities.
“Over the next three years, we will need continued support from the Central Executive Board of Kagama and the North Sumatra Chapter to develop joint programs with the West Sumatra Chapter so that rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts can proceed successfully,” he said.
Secretary General of the Central Executive Board of Kagama, Nezar Patria, praised UGM for facilitating collaboration between the Kagama regional chapters in North Sumatra and Aceh to support disaster-affected communities by constructing temporary housing in Sekumur Village, Aceh Tamiang.
“I believe this collaboration is an excellent starting point for strengthening disaster management efforts across Sumatra,” said Patria.
He also expressed hope that UGM would once again deploy KKN-PPM students to Aceh and North Sumatra to support rehabilitation and reconstruction through sustained community assistance programs in micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), agriculture, and the rural economy.
“Kagama can make an even greater contribution to disaster-affected regions. I believe this is the beginning of our next steps to continue working together in solidarity and making meaningful contributions to society,” he concluded.
Author: Gusti Grehenson
Post-editor: Jasmine Ferdian
Photo: Firsto and North Sumatra Kagama Regional Chapter Documentation