Childhood Memories and My Changemaking Journey

Indonesia 🇮🇩

I was born and grew up in Jakarta in a multi-ethnic family. My father is a Javanese Muslim, my mother is a Chinese from Bangka Island who converted to Islam after married, and my grandparents are Confucians. My family are the first teacher who taught me about tolerance by celebrating Eid ul Fitr, Christmas, or Chinese New Year with our relatives. 

During junior high school, I felt a bit unsympathetic to Islam even though I am a Muslim. My parents’ house in South Jakarta is surrounded by a very devoted Muslim who often released propaganda about other religions. As I grew up in a diverse family, I often asked “why Muslim behaved like that? And why people have to be divided or judged by their religions”. But I cannot express my thought at that moment as it seems taboo for youth to speak up their mind freely to the elders. 

My youth period was gone with silence. During high school and bachelor's study, I was merely a common student without many activism experiences. My turning point was when I joined Wahana Lingkungan Hidup Indonesia (WALHI – Friends of the Earth Indonesia www.walhi.or.id). It was a wide-opening experience as I learned the importance of natural resources, the impact of extractive industries on the environment and society, and how civil society voices are important to make a change.

Later on, I joined in at Yayasan Keanekaragaman Hayati Indonesia (KEHATI Foundation, www.kehati.or.id), a national grant-making institution in biodiversity conservation. As the Education and Outreach Officer, my responsibility was to developed environmental education and public awareness programs, especially for the children and youth.

During that period, I was fascinated by facilitation and mentoring skills which provide opportunities for other people to grow. A good facilitator can help young people to speak up freely, participate actively, and develop actions collectively. If only I met a good facilitator or mentor during my teen’s period, I might be able to express my concern and put it into a change-making action. 

I am grateful for the 20 years of my career, I have had the opportunity to develop various youth empowerment programs in Indonesia such as Teens Go Green, Sekolah Sobat Bumi, School of Eco Diplomacy, Papua Young Researchers, Papua Forest Volunteers, etc.

I have privileged to observe how spirituality and faith led the youth to become an environmentalist. In the western Indonesia, which most of the youth are Moslem, are using the principles of ‘hablum minallah, hablum minannas and hablum minal’alam’. It is a foundation for Muslim to have good relationship with God, the society and the environment. Meanwhile in the eastern Indonesia which mostly are Christians, their devotion to environmental activism was led from compassion and kindness to human kind principles.

From my interactions with these youth, I witnessed how they developed themselves as future leaders by transforming their knowledge, skills and experiences to other youth. Even though I cannot be a changemaker during my youth period, but I am happy to choose my career as facilitator, mentor and coach for youth.

I wish in the future more children and youth in Indonesia to be empowered, speak up about their concerns, and making positive impacts in their life. I do not wish Indonesian children and youth kept on silent as I did in the past.