A community organizer (CO) should be able to identify some problems in the community and to build community’s critical awareness. For the reason, there are some techniques a CO should learn. For instance, by conducting participatory action research.
The statement was made by Ahmad Mahmudi, the member of Perdikan Campus Board, in CO training held at Perdikan Campus, Yogyakarta on 5-15 January 2021. The training was participated by 15 partakers from EcoNusa Foundation and representatives of partners from eastern region of Indonesia.
For 11 days the participants learned how to understand community organizer activity as an organic activity which is based on community sovereignty principles. Working with the community requires sensitivity to comprehend the situation and local condition. Proper activity to the community will come to real when a CO has such a sensitivity.
Siti Masriyah, EcoNusa’s Natural Resources Management Manaer, explained that the implementation of CO training is a learning session for EcoNusa staffers who are deployed to the community in 2021. Working partners are also involved to align the shared understanding of approach in a bid to build sovereign community in Tanah Papua and Maluku in natural resources management. This will also support EcoNusa’s School of Social Transformation in some hamlets to generate local cadres with proper capacity to manage the local-based natural resources.
EcoNusa’s CEO, Bustar Maitar, also said that every participant on the training should be able to create a plan for community organization at every working area. “The CO training must not like rubbing a balsam with temporary hot effect. During the training, we are so enthusiastic but when we are back to our working areas, the spirit will have gone,” he said.
There are some materials delivered to the participants to boost up their knowledge on basic community organization. The materials include Social Intervention Methodology, CO History and Knowledge, CO Philosophy and Working Principles, CO Strategy and Tactic and CO-related legal instruments. All materials were addressed by the Board of Perdikan Campus, namely Roem Topatimasang, Toto Rahardjo, Ahmad Mahmudi facilitated by Dony Hendrocahyono.
In addition to theory, the participants had time to listen to some community organizers’ experiences. They come from community organizers in Karang Dawa Village, Setu Patok, Cirebon and Panggungharjo Village, Bantul. The exposures here could help the participants comprehend the theory of organisation in a real context.
The participants seemed to be enthusiastic during the sessions as the materials provided them with new insights. What they got was different from the activities they had done on the field. Salmon, a participant from Seram Bagian Barat, said that the activities during the CO training have given him new knowledge which is very valuable when he should provide assistance to the community.
Editor: Leo Wahyudi
