After a vacuum in the community to carry out community service activities during the Covid-19 pandemic period, today (Monday, August 15, 2022) Universitas Indonesia (UI) through the Directorate of Community Service and Empowerment (Direktorat Pengabdian dan Pemberdayaan Masyarakat, DPPM) launched the 2022 Community Service and Community Empowerment activities which will carry out 318 programs. As a university, community service is one of the tasks besides education and research.
At the launch event held at the Makara Art Center (MAC) UI, Depok Campus, four keynote speakerswere also present online among them were Minister of Social Affairs Dr. (H.C.) Ir. Tri Rismaharini, M.T., Minister of Cooperatives and Small and Medium Enterprises Drs. Teten Masduki, Minister of Villages, Development of Disadvantaged Regions and Transmigration Dr. (H.C.) Drs. H. Abdul Halim Iskandar, M.Pd., and Minister of Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection I Gusti Ayu Bintang Darmawati, S.E., M.Si.
DPPM introduced UI’s flagship community service programs in various regions in Indonesia, ranging from health, environment, energy, social, cultural, and so on. These programs involve hundreds of community service teams consisting of academicians, lecturers, and students.
“UI as a leading higher education institution that is close to the hearts of the community with its wealth of resources, is the foundation of hope from many parties to take a greater role in handling the complex problems facing Indonesia. Therefore, we, the entire UI academic community, continue to make efforts to contribute to overcoming the problems faced by the nation,” said UI Vice Rector for Research and Innovation, drg. Nurtami, Ph.D., Sp,OF(K).
Furthermore, drg. Nurtami said that UI is open to various forms of cooperation in terms of research, innovation, CSR cooperation, and other programs that can help solve problems and empower the community. UI uses the quintuple helix approach as a model of interaction between parties in developing external roles. “The five helixes, starting from the Government, the business world, the academic/campus world, and the community, must work together to realize a better and more prosperous Indonesia. This is all done while still paying attention to the environment as a supporting element that needs to be ensured so that it can synergize and not clash with the solutions that will be provided in an effort to solve various existing problems,” he said again.
Teten Masduki in his speech said, “Community Service and Empowerment Activities are very good activities for students to be able to develop character and to foster an entrepreneurial spirit. My hope is that the UI Community Service Program is more focused on the welfare of the community, especially in the agriculture, fisheries, animal husbandry and plantation sectors. Because there are more than 90% of SMEs in it.”
According to the Indonesian Minister of Social Affairs, Dr. Tri Rismaharini, UI is very responsive to the needs of the community and local government. Collaboration between UI, the government, and local governments can help solve problems in the region. Dr. Risma said that this synergy is needed because the government is often stuck in routine. Therefore, by collaborating with universities, problems in the regions can be handled quickly.
“We hope that the Regional Government can take advantage of this opportunity well because the community has been waiting for our help. The Regional Government must assist the efforts and sincere intentions of UI by preparing all the necessary facilities during the implementation of community service. This effort is made so that the community becomes empowered to be able to access their economic needs so as to create an advanced society to realize regional development. We thank UI for providing ideas, knowledge, energy, and even finding the funds needed by the regions. Hopefully this collaboration can run smoothly in order to realize the progress of the nation,” said Dr. Risma.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Villages, Development of Disadvantaged Regions, and Transmigration appreciated UI’s Community Service and Empowerment Program. He said that the success of village development is largely determined by village community empowerment activities. Community empowerment and village community assistance are key to village development. According to him, UI has found relevance as a campus tool to assist villages, improve the quality of village human resources, revive village economies, and ensure the preservation of local culture.
The Minister of Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection RI hopes that the launch of the Universitas Indonesia 2022 community service and empowerment program can contribute to accelerating recovery in various post-Covid-19 pandemics. Various programs such as women and child-friendly villages are implemented by the Ministry of Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection with the aim of achieving sustainable development goals. The Ministry of Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection entrusts that the issue of women and child protection also becomes a common concern so that we can achieve gender equality.
The launch of UI’s 2022 community service and empowerment program also aims to demonstrate UI’s contribution to solving the nation’s problems (Health, Environment, Economic Inequality, and Education) faced by local government partners and to bridge collaboration between UI and beneficiary partners (community, government, industry or private). DPPM UI is supported by local governments, district governments, and city governments in the program’s 10 priority locations, as well as five state-owned and private partners. The five state-owned and private partners working with DPPM in this program are PT Indonesia Infrastructure Finance (IIF), PT Paiton Energy, PT Sarana Multigriya Finansial (Persero), PT Sarana Multi Infrastruktur (Persero), and PT Penjaminan Infrastruktur Indonesia (Persero).
