Power to Youth - Youth Engaged Project Assessment Update di Jember, Garut, dan lombok

Akhir September lalu, 2030 Youth Force Indonesia telah melakukan asesi dalam program bertajuk Youth-Engaged Project Assessment (YEPA) bersama organisasi mitra yang diantaranya adalah Yayasan Semak (Perwakilan Jawa Barat), Yayasan Tanoker (Perwakilan Jawa Timur), dan perwakilan Rutgers di Lombok. Kegiatan ini didukung oleh Rutgers WPF Indonesia yang bertujuan untuk meningkatkan kesadaran masyarakat dan partisipasi orang muda dalam pengambilan kebijakan, khususnya di isu hak kesehatan reproduksi remaja dan pencegahan perkawinan anak.

Gambar 1. YEPA Jember

Sepanjang kegiatan, diskusi dilakukan menggunakan berbagai metode yang disesuaikan dengan kondisi peserta. Protokol kesehatan juga tetap diperhatikan sebagai pencegahan penularan COVID-19. Beberapa metode yang digunakan baik secara daring dan luring ditujukan untuk menjawab berbagai pertanyaan sebagai berikut:

1. Bagaimana persepktif pemuda terhadap isu hak kesehatan reproduksi remaja dan perkawinan anak di daerahnya?

2. Bagaimana kondisi pelibatan pemuda secara bermakna terhadap penyelesaian isu-isu tersebut?

3. Bagaimana pandangan pemuda terhadap rancangan modul Training of Trainer (ToT) yang sedang dikerjakan oleh 2030 Youth Force Indonesia.

Gambar 2. YEPA Lombok

Secara umum, pemuda-pemuda berpendapat bahwa ekonomi, kebudayaan, dan pendidikan merupakan faktor utama yang menjadi tantangan di isu hak kesehatan reproduksi remaja dan perkawinan anak. Lebih lanjut, perbedaan kondisi terlihat pada faktor utama permasalahan tersebut dapat terjadi. Misalnya saja di Jember, banyaknya pekerja migran dapat memicu adanya perkawinan anak. Hal tersebut berbeda dengan dengan yang dialami pemuda di Lombok dimana budaya “kawin culik” masih terjadi. Di Garut, praktik berbahaya seperti sunat perempuan menjadi sorotan atas salah satu pelanggaran Hak Kesehatan Seksual dan Reproduksi (HKSR) yang terjadi. Untuk menyelesaikan masalah tersebut, pemuda juga memetakan berbagai pemangku kebijakan yang memiliki peran penting dalam penyelesaian isu-isu tersebut. Ditambah lagi, berbagai ide-ide pemuda juga ditampung mengenai bagaimana keterlibatan pemuda dapat menjadi bagian dari solusi yang diinginkan. Hal tersebut ditujukan karena pemuda di ketiga wilayah tersebut merasa bahwa pemuda belum dilibatkan secara bermakna sebagai bagian dari solusi. Sejauh yang mereka rasakan, stigma dan alur komunikasi yang kurang baik antara orang dewasa dan pemuda menjadi tantangan atas terwujudnya partisipasi pemuda yang bermakna.

Gambar 3. YEPA Garut

Sebagai tindak lanjut, 2030 Youth Force Indonesia akan mengadakan pertemuan lanjutan untuk lebih dalam mendiskusikan perspektif pemuda terkait isu hak kesehatan reproduksi remaja dan perkawinan anak, juga partisipasi pemuda yang bermakna dalam isu-isu tersebut. Langkah tersebut sesuai dengan tujuan 2030 Youth Force Indonesia yang bertujuan untuk mendorong partisipasi pemuda agar dapat terlibat dalam akselerasi implementasi Tujuan Pembangunan Berkelanjutan dan memulai tindakan untuk mendorong perubahan positif menuju masyarakat yang inklusif dan damai di Indonesia. Saat ini 2030 Youth Force Indonesia tengah bekerja sama dengan Rutgers Indonesia dan tiga mitra lainnya tentang pelibatan remaja (12-24 tahun), khususnya remaja perempuan dan perempuan muda (RPPM) dalam program Power to You(th) untuk terlibat secara bermakna dalam pengambilan keputusan mengenai kekerasan berbasis gender dan seksual, pernikahan anak, kehamilan yang tak diinginkan, dan praktik-praktik berbahaya lainnya.

Written by: Revian Putra - Community Engagement 2030 Youth Force Indonesia

The 2030 Youth Force

It has been more than a five since the 2030 Youth Force was established by 19 young leaders from Asia and the Pacific, sparking a youth- and volunteer-led movement that would engage young people in the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs, also referred to as ‘Global Goals’).

Since then, this group of young women and young men has been actively expanding the regional network, creating their own national chapters and raising awareness on how the SDGs relate to individuals and their communities, as well as how youth can take action to contribute to achieving the Global Goals. Today, the network consists of active chapters in seven countries in the region and has over 5000 members. Most of the chapters also have sub-national or provincial branches to bring the initiative into contexts more relevant to each community.

2030 Youth Force activities include organizing trainings and workshops for young people, attending and speaking at conferences and events with youth and partners from the UN and governments, and participating in global advocacy campaigns for the SDGs, such as the International Youth Day, which is celebrated every year on 12 August. The 2030 Youth Force chapters have been supporting each other at the local, national and regional level, exchanging best practices and knowledge, and building a momentum of youth engagement in the SDGs implementation in the region.

Not all national chapters work the same: The young leaders have explored what works best in their local environment and are using creative means and methods to reach and engage young people from their communities in the SDGs. The 2030 Youth Force chapters successfully demonstrate adaptation and localization of the international SDG framework at a local and community level.

The 2030 Youth Force chapter in Indonesia, for example, focuses on SDG 16 “Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions”. Rizky Ashar Mrdn, one of the 19 young founders of the 2030 Youth Force, describes their commitment to supporting marginalized groups: “We encourage youth to promote the Global Goals with actions that lead to positive change towards an inclusive and peaceful society in Indonesia. We have invited young people from diverse groups, such as persons with disabilities, persons living with HIV, or the LGBT community to participate in all of our activities.”

In the Philippines, the 2030 Youth Force has been using both offline and online activities to raise awareness among young Filipinos. Social media platforms have been a catalyzer not only to engage but also to create more opportunities for the network. Jules Guiang, another member of the original 19 young founders of the Youth Force, describes their successes: “Starting with one Facebook post asking if anyone would be interested in working on the SDGs and their implementation, we are now partnering with the University of the Philippines to air an online youth show on the university’s online TV platform, TVUP. The show ‘2030’ will specifically focus on discussing sustainable development and the Global Goals in the context of the Philippines. Our first episode will air in September.”

The “OnTheWheels” SDG Caravan is another activity tailored to young people that will be launched soon, bringing the SDGs to key locations in the Philippines. It “will equip our young participants with important information about the Global Goals, as well as present and incubate ideas and solutions to address local problems”, he explains.

While SDG 17 “Partnerships for Implementation” is one of the key goals of the 2030 Youth Force with many chapters cooperating with governments, UN agencies and academic institutions, the 2030 Youth Force chapter in Viet Nam has also been collaborating successfully with local and international civil society organizations, as well as the private sector. Youth leader Xin Cao highlights that, since its foundation, the “2030 Youth Force in Viet Nam attracted a lot of attention from several local and international NGOs for mutual collaboration. We are currently a Communication Sponsor of ‘Narrow The Gap’ campaign by LIN Center for Community Development, a local NGO in Vietnam.” She adds, “We are partnering with HATCH! VENTURES, a Vietnamese leading startup ecosystem builder for the SDG Challenge 2017, the SDG Youth Scholarship 2017 and the big ‘HATCH! Fair the Fifth’ event to create more opportunities for youth.”

In partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), UNV is proud to support these active young change makers’ initiatives, echoing the motto of the SDGs “Leaving No One Behind”. While UNDP and UNV have provided the platform for them to establish the 2030 Youth Force, these young women and men are the ones who are taking on ownership and leadership of the movement. Their passion, energy and creativity have been a source of inspiration for stakeholders, including UN agencies, and there is large potential for further expanding the Youth Force to engage even more young people towards 2030 and beyond.