A Friend to Problematic’ Students
Nineteen-year-old Nabila realizes that students who are thought to be “problematic” need a specific approach to encourage them to change.
Nabila Ishma Nurhabibah
Nineteen-year-old Nabila realizes that students who are thought to be “problematic” need a specific approach to encourage them to change. The young woman has initiated a program to help them resolve the root of their problem so that they can develop.
In 2014, Nabila was still in her second year of junior high at a leading school in Bandung. The students at her school were required to possess self-discipline and to excel. These demands, however, often led to teachers being verbally and physically violent towards their students.
Nabila realized that the situation could not continue. “These children were labeled as naughty and considered a disgrace. Certainly, they often violated the regulations. But not without reason,” she said when contacted on 18 Feb. 2021.
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She tried to find an alternative way to solve the problem and created a simple method called CDEF, which stands for Cari tahu, Dekati, Empati, dan Forum (Seeking Knowledge, Closeness, Empathy and Forum). Nabila tried to discover the kinds of problems her friends were facing by approaching them and building trust. If they wanted to talk about their problems, she would take the lead in a discussion to help them solve their problems.
The students at Nabila’s school at the time were considered delinquent because they often violated the rules, such as by skipping school, getting into fights, or bullying other students. Many were members of a motorcycle gang, or geng motor.
These children were labeled as naughty and considered a disgrace. Certainly, they often violated the regulations. But not without reason.
Nabila took a variety of approaches. Some trusted her immediately, while with others, it took some time to gain their trust. Once, it took Nabila about a year until her schoolmate felt safe enough to open up to her.
“It is rare for kids like them to open up,” she said.
Once they had established trust, however, Nabila could listen to the students and their problems. It turned out that most “delinquent” students acted up because of problems they had at home as well as the pressures at school.
Nabila Ishma Nurhabibah
Nabila then helped them find a solution. She usually encouraged them to engage in dialogue with their parents, or go talk to a school counselor or seek help from a professional psychologist. She also encouraged them to join communities like art studios or music groups to develop their talents.
It was not easy for Nabila to implement the CDEF strategy at her school, since she had to work alone without the school’s support. As a matter of fact, she often got into heated debates with her teachers on the approach used to deal with the “problematic” students.
Nabila persisted in defending her peers, and her efforts earned her the nickname “hero of criminals” (pahlawan penjahat). She felt it was too much, because the people she was helping were not at all criminals.
Continuing efforts
In 2016, when Nabila was in senior high school, she continued her CDEF efforts to help her “problematic” schoolmates. Reflecting on her previous experiences in junior high school, Nabila learned that she could not continue on her own. So she worked closely with her school, especially the school counselors. She also invited her friends to join the CDEF program so they could help more of their schoolmates.
In 2017, Nabila had an opportunity to work with the Culture and Education Ministry in publishing a book for adolescents titled 8 Pintu Mewarnai Hidup (8 Doors to Color Your Life), which contains a chapter on her CDEF strategy. A year later, Nabila trained more than 100 members of student councils (OSIS) across the country under the ministry’ early psychological support program.
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Because of her efforts in developing and applying her CDEF strategy, Nabila was appointed as the deputy chair of the National Children’s Forum for the 2017-2019 term. During her tenure, Nabila publicized the CDEF movement and developed the “one child for one child” program, under which each child was responsible for helping at least one of their peers.
Nabila realized that the CDEF movement would have a wider impact if more people were involved. In 2019, she became involved in a workshop held in Bandung by the West Java Family Association for Education Care (KerLiP) and the Culture and Education Ministry. The event invited 60 students who were in school gangs to turn away from negative paths, especially violence.
Nabila Ishma Nurhabibah
After the workshop, Nabila invited the 60 students to join Metamorfosa_ind, a community she had founded in December 2019 with the slogan, “from zero to hero”.
The Metamorfosa community is a forum for so-called problematic children in Bandung where they can share their stories, exchange ideas, get to know themselves and discover their true interests.
“I’m always looking for kids from geng motor. Why? Because they are frequently overlooked, underestimated and deemed as bad kids. In fact, that does not mean that they do not have the right to care,” said Nabila, who is now in university.
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The Metamorfosa community now has 11 facilitators, including Nabila. Unfortunately, the community has not been able to develop much during the Covid-19 pandemic, as its members prefer to conduct their activities in person.
The CDEF movement may seem simple, bit it is a long-term program that requires a lot of effort, time, energy and patience.
“I personally realize that it’s not easy to open [the program] to many people because the process is long. Instead of doing this for a lot of people, I selected only a few people so I could help them optimally,” she said.
I’m always looking for kids from geng motor. Why? Because they are frequently overlooked, underestimated and deemed as bad kids
Nabila’s patience has borne fruit, as some of the students previously deemed “problematic” had received help through the CDEF program and finished school. Some have even gone on to prominent universities, including the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB).
Nabila has received a number of awards for her efforts, and has been shortlisted for the Ashoka Young Changemaker this year.
Nabila Ishma Nurhabibah
Place/Date of birth: Bandung, 8 May 2001
Education: Law student at Padjadjaran University, Bandung
Achievements:
- Recipient of the 2019 West Java Future Leaders Scholarship
- Tunas Muda Pemimpin Indonesia (young Indonesian leaders) award, Women\'s Empowerment and Child Protection Ministry, 2016
This article was translated by Camilia Adianti.
