Gorontalo, UIN News Online – The contingent of UIN Jakarta Scouts, consisting of 16 members, actively participated in various activities of the 16th National Religious Higher Education Scout Camp (PWN PTK) on the third day, along with other PTK contingents, on Tuesday morning (05/23 2023) at the Campground of IAIN Gorontalo.
During the event, it can be seen that the series of activities were packed from morning until evening. It started with the congregation for Fajr prayer, followed by a morning lecture and morning exercise in the style of Senam Mopobibi from Gorontalo.
The Male Scout Counselor of Pramuka UIN Jakarta, Arief Arianto Aryadi explained during an interview at the location that in this PWN, the participants are engaged in various activities. On the second day after the opening ceremony, he mentioned that the participants of each contingent were divided into two groups to participate in different activities.
Eight people are engaged in activities around the campsite while the rest are involved in community service activities or village service in the vicinity of the campsite. There will be rotations among the participants for these activities.
According to Arief, those who are assigned to the campsite are further divided to participate in various activities, such as a seminar on Scout topics and Strengthening Religious Moderation, Youth Dialogue across Faiths and Identity Politics, and the Safe from Harm program.
“Those who do not participate in the seminar, one male and one female participant, join the other contingents to participate in practicing the traditional dances of Gorontalo, namely the Lintheya and Bintheya dances, in preparation for their performance during the closing ceremony,” he said.
Meanwhile, Arief continued, the community service activities are attended by 8 representatives from each contingent, consisting of four males and four females. The community service activities, Arief said, are divided into four villages, namely Daenaa Village, Pentadio Village, Tilihua Village, and Botubarani Village.
“The UIN Jakarta Scout contingent is assigned to Daenaa Village, which is approximately 13 km away from the campsite,” said Arief.
To monitor the community service activities, the Head of Academic Administration and Student Affairs Bureau (AAKK) of UIN Jakarta, Priyono, the Head of Student Affairs Division, Ikhwan Zubair, and the Head of Sub-Coordinator for Student Talent Development, Yulia Handayani, visited the location of the community service activity.
“The location is easily accessible, although the road is slightly uphill and not fully paved. The area has hilly terrain with abundant trees, vegetable plantations, and local cattle farms. Alongside the road, there is a small river with clear water, creating a serene and picturesque atmosphere,” said Priyono.
Upon arriving at the location, the group from the AAKK Bureau was welcomed by the head of Pramuka UIN Jakarta, Rafa Herda Oktaviani, who then escorted them to the house of the village chief of Denaa, which served as the base for the community service activities.
Rafa reported that the participants of the community service in Denaa felt comfortable and safe in carrying out their duties. On the first day, Rafa said that the team of 66 participants from each contingent was welcomed by the village chief and around 30 villagers upon their arrival.
“In addition to the residents, we were accompanied by a medical team, as well as several members of the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) and the Indonesian National Police (Polri),” said Rafa.
Rafa further explained that the village service activities were divided into two categories: physical and non-physical. The physical activities involved cleaning the village from one end to the other, tree planting, and renovating the mosque.
“For the non-physical activities, namely the Scouts Teaching program, they were deployed to schools around the village to deliver lessons on nationalism and patriotism,” he added.
Meanwhile, Village Chief Jefri appreciates the scouting activities carried out in his village. According to him, the residents are very happy with the presence of the contingent, which brings a fresh atmosphere to their village.
“It is an honor for our village to be entrusted with the implementation of this activity. We strive to make the participants feel comfortable, safe, and mingle with the community. Although there may still be shortcomings, we are making efforts to ensure that the objectives of this activity are achieved,” said Jefri.
The participants, as mentioned by Village Chief Jefri, were accommodated in several households to live with the local residents (Homestay).
Jefri also mentioned that if Aceh City is called the “Veranda of Mecca,” then Gorontalo can be considered its “Veranda of Medina.” In his village, Jefri stated that 98 percent of the population are Muslims.
Therefore, we hope that such activities can be regularly conducted in our village to share mutual benefits, as well as to aspire the children of Desa Denaa,” he said. (mf/usa)
