Location

MD214, Paul Cardinal Shen Medical Building, Fu Jen University

Start Date

29-5-2015 4:20 PM

End Date

29-5-2015 5:30 PM

Description

Petra Christian University (PCU) has a service learning program named Community Outreach Program (COP) which has been run internationally since 1996. It has been awarded as one of excellent programs for students learning by Directorate General of Higher Education of Indonesia in 2008. This program was initiated with the goals of preparing young generation for a service to a community while simultaneously gaining new skills, knowledge, and understanding as an integrated aspect of the student's academic program. COP has been organised for 18 years now and its benefits for students to learn in various aspects of life are inevitable. This paper reported how COP has provided opportunities for students to rethink about life perspective. It's a question every thoughtful person has pondered at one time or another. Indeed, it may be the biggest question of all. Source of data was gathered from students reflection books from the last two COP in 2013 (Kediri district) and 2014 (Mojokerto district) and from several interviews and conversations with students. Considering the broad range of life perspective to be explored, this study focused on students' answers about the pursuit of happiness and satisfaction in life as well as their experience in building relations with others from different background during COP.

The villages where COP 2013 and 2014 located were less developed places. During COP which lasted about 3 weeks, students live d in the house of the villagers. Those 3 weeks of their stay with their host families, they lived the host culture through daily i nteraction, meals, and daily household activities. They received a warm and sincere welcome and were well cared in a very simple house. For many students, their host family becomes their second home and a foundation for lifelong friendship. Living with a host family in the village who have less possessions and yet they were giving and caring students happily enables students to rethink and experience that happiness does not always come from the wealth. They also learned during their stay that giving provided satisfaction in life though the contribution given was not much in value.

Recommended Citation

Anggono, J., Palit, H. C., Wartono, P. S., & Limbong, F. (2015, May). Rethinking of life perspective when doing service learning in a village in Indonesia. Paper presented at the 5th Asia-Pacific Regional Conference on Service-Learning: Love Journey: Community Engagement through Service-Learning, Fu Jen Catholic University, Taiwan.

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May 29th, 4:20 PM May 29th, 5:30 PM

Rethinking of life perspective when doing service learning in a village in Indonesia

MD214, Paul Cardinal Shen Medical Building, Fu Jen University

Petra Christian University (PCU) has a service learning program named Community Outreach Program (COP) which has been run internationally since 1996. It has been awarded as one of excellent programs for students learning by Directorate General of Higher Education of Indonesia in 2008. This program was initiated with the goals of preparing young generation for a service to a community while simultaneously gaining new skills, knowledge, and understanding as an integrated aspect of the student's academic program. COP has been organised for 18 years now and its benefits for students to learn in various aspects of life are inevitable. This paper reported how COP has provided opportunities for students to rethink about life perspective. It's a question every thoughtful person has pondered at one time or another. Indeed, it may be the biggest question of all. Source of data was gathered from students reflection books from the last two COP in 2013 (Kediri district) and 2014 (Mojokerto district) and from several interviews and conversations with students. Considering the broad range of life perspective to be explored, this study focused on students' answers about the pursuit of happiness and satisfaction in life as well as their experience in building relations with others from different background during COP.

The villages where COP 2013 and 2014 located were less developed places. During COP which lasted about 3 weeks, students live d in the house of the villagers. Those 3 weeks of their stay with their host families, they lived the host culture through daily i nteraction, meals, and daily household activities. They received a warm and sincere welcome and were well cared in a very simple house. For many students, their host family becomes their second home and a foundation for lifelong friendship. Living with a host family in the village who have less possessions and yet they were giving and caring students happily enables students to rethink and experience that happiness does not always come from the wealth. They also learned during their stay that giving provided satisfaction in life though the contribution given was not much in value.