Photos: JP/Tifa Asrianti Graphic: JP/BudhiBecoming a leader requires many qualities. Determination. A cool head. Intelligence. Charisma.Proficiency in English for global communications.
And one of the most important in an ethnically diverse nation such as Indonesia is an ability to accept differences.
It is what Galuh Sekar Arum, a 10th grader at SMA 1 state high school in Balikpapan, East Kalimantan, learned at a recent event on youth leadership. The Youth Leadership Forum brought together 40 students from far-flung areas of the nation: Riau, East Kalimantan, Bali, South Sulawesi, Yogyakarta, West Java, Central Java, East Java, North Sumatra, Banten and Jakarta.
“We learn to accept diversity. For a group consisting of 40 students, we have many differences yet we are quite close and compact,” she said.
The Youth Leadership Forum was held by The Jakarta Post, oil company Chevron Pacific Indonesia and the Ministry of Education and Culture, from Jan. 15-17 in Bogor, West Java. During the three-day event, the students learned leadership skills, including entrepreneurship and public speaking, and also explored the importance of unity in diversity.
In fact, the students qualified to participate in the forum by submitting essays on the issue of diversity.
Karina Priliani Putri said she learned diversity at home due to her multiethnic family, including relatives who are ethnic Chinese, Javanese and from Makassar, and also those family members who are of different religions to her.
“We are family, so we don’t let differences set us apart,” said the 10th grader from SMAN 2 high school in Surabaya.
But Ivana Yus, 15, said she sensed an ethnic divide among her peers in Binjai, North Sumatra.
“They go around in their groups and don’t mingle. In my opinion, it’s not a good thing. We should befriend everybody regardless of their ethnic background,” she said.
Rizky Kurniawan, a student from SMK 7 vocational high school in Semarang, Central Java, said differences always existed even in a homogenous appearing ethnic community. He said that although students in his class were ethnically Javanese, they came from different areas of the island.
“For example, people from Semarang have a different accent to people from Solo [Surakarta] and Yogya. Each person has a different personality, too. The key is to accept the differences as part of our lives,” he said.
Another interesting part of leadership skills for the students was public speaking, especially in English. They gave impromptu presentations in English based on interviews with people in the surrounding community, from a fried snack seller to a local neighborhood chief. The following day they received tips from an expert. Karina was among the students listening closely as the invited speaker, Kompas TV producer and news announcer Timothy Marbun, gave a talk on public speaking.
The student, 15, admits she is afraid of speaking before an audience.
“When I spoke in public, I used to be afraid to look at people’s eyes because I would be nervous and forget what I was going to say. Now I have the tips to overcome it,” she said.
Timothy praised the students for being able to prepare their presentations in a short period. He said that public speakers usually spent considerable time perfecting a speech.
“You need to have enough preparation and practice for the presentation. You must create structure or put additional information to make your presentation more interesting,” he said.
Timothy said people had different approaches in dealing with public speaking nerves.
“Everyone has his or her own way to overcome a panic attack,” Timothy said. “I know a public speaker who doesn’t look at people’s eyes when delivering a speech. I have a friend who screams to calm down herself during a panic attack. You should find what works best for you and you should know your strength and weaknesses.”
Rizky said that if he felt nervous prior to delivering speech, he would take a deep breath and recite Koranic verses in his mind. “I got the tip from my father, who is a neighborhood unit head and a teacher,” he said.
Harry Bustaman, Chevron’s manager of corporate responsibility/community engagement, said the event aimed at creating Indonesia’s leaders of the future. He added that the energy sector was rapidly changing and needed highly qualified human resources, especially those proficient in English.
“We want to create leaders who can think globally, but act locally,” he said.
The event kicked off a roadshow that will visit 100 schools in nine provinces and provide training for English teachers and students to nurture the love of reading, writing and speaking in English.
In December 2011, the Post, the ministry and Chevron signed an agreement to cooperate on improving English communication skills among secondary school students through the Newspaper in Education (NIE) program, which will supply free newspapers published by the company in 2012.
Indrarti, the ministry’s subdivision head of cooperation, said that they would evaluate the program after one year. She said that there was a plan to expand the program into 1,000 schools, pending results of the evaluation. Currently, there are around 22,000 high schools and vocational high schools across Indonesia.
Yulia Herawati, executive director of The Jakarta Post Foundation, said that the Post had reached out to around 600 schools, aside from the 100 schools in collaboration with Chevron and the ministry. She said there would be the possibility of other Indonesian media cooperating in the NIE program because the main goal was to develop a love of reading.
The event also included a session on lifestyle tips for teenager, such as the dangers of smoking, alcohol and sexually transmitted diseases, by the Love the Nation’s Children Foundation (YCAB).
Speaking for themselves
Karina Priliani Putri, 10th grader, SMAN 2, Surabaya
I want to put into practice the knowledge I got here. For example, I want to participate in public speaking competitions. It will help prepare me for my dream of becoming an ambassador, a profession that requires good public speaking skills. I have taken part in several competitions on a local level, in the future I’d like to participate in competitions on the national level.
Nur Wijaya, 11th grader, SMAN 10, Malang, East Java
I will apply the lessons I get here in my wish to become a lecturer in mathematics. I love mathematics and want to change the public perception that it’s a boring subject. I plan to apply for a scholarship abroad. I still have six months to write an essay for the scholarship application. I hope by joining this event I can improve my English proficiency and TOEFL score.
Hanum Rahmi Putri, 11th grader, SMK 2, Pekanbaru
This event had many sessions that I found useful, such as the psychological test, the public speaking session and the entrepreneurship skills. My father has run a garment shop since 1996. In the future, he will have to pass down the business to his children. I will definitely put the entrepreneurship tips into action.
Rizky Kurniawan, 11th grader, SMK 7, Semarang
There is so much I can learn from this event. I get new friends and new knowledge that I can implement in the future. I want to be a teacher, either of English or Automotive Engineering, to share my knowledge to the others.
Galuh Sekar Arum, 10th grader, SMAN 1, Balikpapan, East Kalimantan
When I return to my city, I will share the experience I have here with my friends. I want to be a leader, at least to lead myself. This is the first time I have joined such an event and I got so many benefits, new knowledge and friends from it.
—JP/Tifa Asrianti
