Protecting the environment cannot be done like a superhero temperament, has strange powers and acts alone in the dark to save the earth. What is needed is the opposite: more awareness and a helping hand so that we can stay alive on the blue planet, the only planet that is friendly to humans.
In environmental affairs, young people have a very significant role. They have a sincere intention to create change, imaginative thinking power, and a relatively long age to continue to sue and create the next change. Unfortunately, change is not born from a vacuum. Anxiety about something that does not work properly should not just come out of human heads – both young and old. It takes digging awareness to realize the situation and act to find a solution. And once again, this can not be done alone.
Through the School of Eco Diplomacy (SED) program, the EcoNusa Foundation seeks to encourage young people to enjoy the environmental discourse of crispy potato chips, as much as the rhythm of Black Pink songs, or as attractive as the Champions League. The environment is no longer expected to be considered a red light at a crossroad: its existence is important but many people avoid it.
Until the end of 2019, the EcoNusa Foundation will open SED programs for Elementary classes in three cities: Sorong, Manokwari and Jayapura. This program attracts young people in the age range of 16-25 years, to discuss environmental discourses that occur in each city. After joining the SED basic class program, participants can take the Middle class with young people from other regions in Indonesia. It is hoped that after participating in the SED program, they can participate in finding environmental solutions for their neighborhood.
“This becomes important as a form of the theory of change carried by EcoNusa to build a new narrative about the Land of Papua. That Papuan children can contribute to positive change in the area they live in by conducting diplomacy related to environmental issues. Maybe in the next ten to twenty years you can make a school about this. We do not rule out the possibility, “said the Community Development and Youth Manager of the EcoNusa Foundation Rina Kusuma.
Editor: Indrawardhani D. Pringgodigdo
