Learning Disaster Preparedness and Environmental Preservation Through Persami School Camp

To instill the disaster preparedness values and awareness to preserve the environment, IDEP in collaboration with Kwarda Bali Scouts manages the Saturday-Sunday School Camp (Persami) on 9-10 March 2019. Persami, which was held at Pondok Jaka, Sangeh, Bali, brought the theme of Disaster Preparedness and Environmental Preservation in the whole series of events.

 

The event, which was held for the first time by IDEP was followed by 200 students as representatives of 19 elementary schools in 9 regencies and cities in Bali Province. They are members of the Siaga and Penggalang Scout in their respective schools. During Persami, students from each of these schools are accompanied by at least two teachers. Not only the students, but the accompanying teachers also participated in all of the two-day activities.

 

Students, teachers, and organizers are raising their fist while calling for Salam Tangguh shortly after the Opening Ceremony was over (Photo: Anom Pascima)

 

Persami is part of the Friends for the Universe (TUNAS) program run by IDEP since the beginning of 2019. Before Persami was held, in February IDEP had started holding the workshop with teachers with the same theme. The workshop is one of the preparations towards Persami.

 

First Day: Becoming Like a Fire

 

Before opening, students must fill out a pre-test sheet so that the organizers can measure their knowledge and level of awareness regarding disaster preparedness and environmental preservation. After completion, Persami was then officially opened by the Scout Carer of Kwarda Bali, I Gde Made Jaya Serataberata. In his remarks, he conveyed the intention to increase public awareness about environmental preservation and disaster preparedness as a shared responsibility. The Scout Movement with its Caring Scouts and IDEP through its TUNAS program can complement each other in order to create a disaster-prepared and caring generation for environmental preservation in Bali.

 

“Environmental preservation and disaster preparedness is a shared responsibility”, said I Gde Made Jaya Serataberata who wears the red hat (Photo: Edward Angimoy)

 

After lunch, the program then continued with a workshop on designing School Alert Map and Garden, which were attended by all students and teachers. Sayu Komang, IDEP Program Coordinator who facilitated it, delivered the components that must be included in the School Alert Map. The various components must be in accordance with the conditions and environment around the school. For example, schools that are close to the coast must be prepared to face the threat of a tsunami, while schools in highland must be prepared to face the threat of landslides. Meanwhile, in the School Garden session, Sayu emphasized the importance of planting and nurturing food crops.

 

Sayu Komang is facilitating the workshop on how to design School Alert Map and Garden (Photo: Edward Angimoy)

 

The IDEP team, continued Sayu, will provide assistance to schools to improve the development of School Alert Map and Garden for the year ahead. That way, students and teachers and other school elements are expected to benefit from the TUNAS Program to the fullest. At the same time, the efforts to establish the model of disaster-prepared and sustainable school can be more visible.

 

At the end of the workshop, the students and teachers were invited to practice the making of the School Alert Map and Garden mockup. The results of the practice of each school then competed. Students and teachers from each school are divided into two groups. One group made Alert Map in accordance with the school condition and challenges that might exist, while another group was assigned to make the School Garden mockup from makeshift materials that could be found around the campsite.

 

Students are presenting their completed School Garden mockup (Photo: Anom Pascima)

 

When night fell, the event continued with a bonfire ceremony. The ceremony was chaired by the Head of Bali's Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD), Made Rentin. In his speech, shortly after the official bonfire was lit, he described his reflection on the meaning of a campfire filled with students' responsibility for disaster preparedness and environmental preservation. "Therefore, brothers and sisters, we mean the campfire activity at night with the things described earlier; be a positive fire, which illuminates the darkness and that ignites the enthusiasm of other people to always be disaster-prepared and ready to preserve the environment," he said.

 

Three out of five students with the torch on their hands, representing the five moral principles of Indonesian Pancasila, before the bonfire is lit up (Photo: Edward Angimoy)

 

The event was then continued with an inter-school chant competition. Throughout the race, each school displays entertaining chant and contains messages on environmental preservation and disaster preparedness. Some schools appear to have prepared their performances long before. It looks from a variety of compact movements, while occasionally acrobatic moves, and the use of some simple properties such as drums (from buckets) and fans. The atmosphere of the Persami Night on the first day became lively and vibrant before being closed to give the students time to rest in their tents.

 

Day Two: Hands-on Practice of Environmental Preservation and Disaster Preparedness

 

The second day's activities began with morning gymnastics as an opening to re-ignite the spirit. From half past six, the students and teachers looked excited following the movements that were displayed for half an hour.

 

After bathing and having breakfast, the students and teachers, which are divided into groups based on the school, do trekking around the village that flanks the campsite. Typical chants from each school were heard on almost every route that was passed. Not just exploring, each group is given two tasks, namely recording the names of plants and picking up the trash they find along the exploration.

 

The spirited chants fulfilled every route on the trekking session (Photo: Anom Pascima)

 

Especially for trash, everything they collect is then used in the waste processing creativity competition. In addition to the trash found on the road, all groups were also asked to do "ant operation", which is collecting trash around the campsite. After everything is collected, the trash is then weighed to find out how much of the untreated waste is the burden and impact on environmental sustainability. Furthermore, all groups are invited to creatively process the waste based on its type.

 

Towards noon, the students and teachers were guided to take part in the disaster preparedness simulation. The threat of disaster is an earthquake. Before the simulation begins, they have first invited to re-recognize the earthquake, how to save themselves, the evacuation route and the safe assembly point. To be more effective, some related instructions are conveyed through songs that are easily memorized and practiced. Furthermore, during the simulation, they are conditioned as if they are experiencing an earthquake and are asked to practice the instructions they have learned. In that way, they are expected to be able to reduce disaster risk in the school environment and their families.

 

Students are covering their head on the way to the Safe Assembly Point in earthquake simulation (Photo: Richard Jones)

 

Before the closing, the event continued with the announcement of the winners of various competitions that had been held for the past two days. The winners of the School Alert Map competition were SDN 1 Ulakan (1st Place), SDN 1 Baler Bale Agung (2nd Place) and SDN 1 Manggis (3rd Place). Furthermore, the winners of the School Garden mockup competition were SDN 1 Peguyangan (1st Place), SDN 1 Semarapura Kangin (2nd Place) and SDN 1 Ulakan (3rd Place). Meanwhile, the chant competition was won by SDN 3 Sukawati A (1st place), SDN 3 Sukawati B (2nd place) and SDN 1 Bunutin (3rd place).

 

The last is the announcement of the General Champion. For this, the champion is determined based on the highest number of scores that have been collected by the school from each competition that has been held. And the one who won the First General Champion was SDN 1 Ulakan. SDN 1 Semarapura Kangin and SDN 1 Manggis followed on the second and third place. All winners get trophies and souvenirs from IDEP as the event organizer.

 

The winners are holding their trophies (Photo: Richard Jones)

 

Apart from that, the students were then asked to fill out a post-test sheet so that the organizers could compare it with the pre-test results that had been filled before the activity. In that way, the level of knowledge and awareness of the students can be measured, while the achievements and impacts of these activities can be also evaluated at the same time.

 

The series of Persami activities were then ended through a closing ceremony led by Secretary of Kwarda Bali Scouts, I Made Dana. In his remarks, he advised that participants could disseminate the knowledge and awareness that had been gained during Persami to peers, both at school and in their respective neighborhoods. He also appreciated such activities as Persami and encouraged it to be held again by involving more schools. He even offered Margarana Campground, which can accommodate up to 1,500 people, free of charge if similar activities are held again in the future.

 

Follow-up

 

Quoting IDEP's Executive Director, Muchamad Awal, the TUNAS program supported by Boeing will continue for the next one year. There are still other activities that are waiting after the workshop with teachers and Persami are completed. "For the next steps, IDEP will continue to encourage and facilitate the implementation of the Alert Map and School Garden that have been made by each of the Persami participating schools," he concluded.

 

Student enthusiasm during Persami are expected to be shared to their peer and neighborhood (Photo: Richard Jones)

 

On the sidelines, the Chairperson of the Persami Organizing Committee, I Dewa Gede Wipa Wirautama, appreciated the enthusiasm of all parties involved in the whole series of activities. "Thank you and highest appreciation for all those who have been involved in the success of this activity from the beginning to the end. Thank you to the schools, students, accompanying teachers, Kwarda Bali Scout Care team, Bali BPBD and all those who have helped with their respective ways. Hopefully, this will benefit us and our environment," he said. (Fit / Ed)

 

*) Photos from this event can be seen here