The successful implementation of KKN-PPM (Community Service – Community Empowerment Learning) of Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) in Suak Gual Village, Selat Nasik District, Belitung Regency in 2018 is supported by various parties, one of those is Alumni Family of Universitas Gadjah Mada (KAGAMA) Belitong.
Since the arrival of 28 UGM students from various disciplines in the island that is nicknamed Negeri Laskar Pelangi, KAGAMA Belitong has provided assistance right away and bridged the communication between local government and the villagers in the KKN location. Including providing input to the programs that can be done by KKN-PPM UGM team in line with the potential and needs of the local community.
“We are very proud of KKN UGM activity in Belitung, we feel like a family from Universitas Gadjah Mada so we have a big responsibility to help and to provide assistance to students of KKN UGM that are deployed in Bangka Belitung Islands region,” said Yasa, Chairman of KAGAMA Belitong, during the Monitoring and Evaluation of KKN-PPM UGM 2018 in Suak Gual Village, Sunday (29/4).
The year of 2018 is the first year of KKN-PPM UGM in Suak Gual Village, a village of about 1000 people residing in Mendanau Island region. The tourism potential such as the beaches with white sand and clear water and local cultural wisdom will be the chosen flagship program to be promoted to the outside world.
The KKN team also partner up with the locals in the Tourism Awareness Group (Pokdarwis) in developing the potential so it will sustain after the implementation of KKN program ended.
Yasa has great hope that the presence of KKN-PPM UGM program in Belitong will be able to change the community’s mindset to be able to optimize the natural potential of Belitung for the improvement of the general economy and welfare. Yasa also hopes that the presence of UGM students can inspire young people in Belitung to achieve a higher education, even at Universitas Gadjah Mada.
“In the future, we want UGM to not only deploy one KKN team in Suak Gual Village but also to increase the number of KKN program in other locations in Bangka Belitung region so that more people of Belitung will get inspiration from this KKN program,” Yasa said. [Eggy/Farah]