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strong>Komunitas 1001 Buku

Komunitas 1001Buku, or the1001 Book Community, is a nonprofit voluntary group where main purpose is to maintain community-based libraries for children.

It starts with collecting books from the public; sorting, packing and distributing them to community-based libraries all across Indonesia; then giving training to library owners so that their libraries can survive.

“1001Buku started with a group of friends who had a community library back in 2002. At that time, they thought that there wasn’t much variety in the books in their library so they gathered more of their friends to donate books,” said volunteer Ama Erithia.

The community was launched at the British Council on Jan. 10, 2003, and through word of mouth, it became bigger and soon they had a mailing list group.

Currently, the community has at least 3,000 online volunteers, and about 30 offline helpers. Komunitas 1001Buku covered around 130 libraries nationwide as of 2012.

Gerakan Indonesia Berkibar

Tired of seeing ineffective solutions to problems in the Indonesian educational system, social media activist Shafiq Pontoh and some of his friends started an initiative called Gerakan Indonesia Berkibar (GIB).

The movement is endorsed by Education and Culture Minister Muhammad Nuh, as well as other influencers such as notable graphic designer Yoris Sebastian and Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) architecture lecturer Ridwan Kamil.

Its partners include Bank BTN, the Djarum Foundation, Starbucks and Trakindo; while, its facilitators are Akademi Berbagi — a social movement to disseminate skills and know-how through classes on various subjects ranging from marketing to music, Indonesia Berkebun (Indonesian Gardens), Putera Sampoerna Foundation social institution and Dompet Dhuafa charity institution.

So far, it is also supported by 6,585 people in social media.

Jakarta Amateur Astronomers Association

The association (HAAJ) was formed nearly 29 years ago, aiming at enlightening the public on astronomy as an important life science through an informal approach.

“It is an activity that is based on a hobby. Our members range from kindergarten children to retired people,” said activist Nurdiansah, adding that HAAJ had at least 200 active members.

An ancient science, astronomy helps humans in understanding natural events, such as the movement of the sun as well as eclipses.

The club offers informal education on learning the science, including giving workshops, space research and providing assistance to students for school science projects.

“We have regular seminars, such as on hisab [the astronomical calculation to determine the first day of Idul Adha and Idul Fitri] and about the recent hype over the Mayan calendar,” said Nurdiansah.

Rotaract Club Semanggi Jakarta

Rotaract Semanggi is a community-based youth organization, which is sponsored by Rotary Club Jakarta — part of Rotary international.

It was officially established on May 25, 1986 by founders including Helmi Haludin, Tubagus Irianto, Agoes Silaban, Indah Ananda Putri and Inayati.

“Rotaract Semanggi wasn’t quite renowned until the last two years. This was because the club acted exclusively in carrying out its activities, meaning that it didn’t work together with other communities in projects,” said public relations director Muhammad Fikri.

But now, Rotaract Semanggi has become more open to the public, including working on projects with other community-based organizations and government institutions.

Its members are young adults between 18 and 30 years old. Rotaract Semanggi has around 25 active members. Indonesia has more than 20 Rotaract clubs nationwide.

— JP/Niken Prathivi