Young people are optimistic, hard-working and desire progress. More importantly, they work not only for themselves, but also to contribute to the surrounding community.
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·2 minutes read
The current demographic bonus can greatly benefit Indonesia\'s progress if young people, including those in villages, have jobs.
The reports published from Monday to Wednesday in the Kompas daily show that young people have become drivers of change in many villages. They are optimistic, hard-working and desire progress. More importantly, they work not only for themselves, but also to contribute to the surrounding community.
They embrace rural needs and harness the villages’ potential, as seen in the results of the Gadjah Mada University (UGM) community service program (KKN) that involved 5,372 students across 107 districts and cities in 32 provinces. The UGM KKN students contributed to village tourism, good farming practices and literacy.
Opportunity and trust were all that these young people needed. Opportunities can be provided by village officials or by providing technology, from applicable to digital technology.
Basic weather monitoring technology, for example, has helped farmers keep track of the weather and climate. These two factors greatly affect the quantity and quality of agricultural output, especially for high-value products like horticultural products.
Internet technology, as many developing countries have experienced, significantly helps rural people to increase productivity. The internet technology of simple messaging applications, like WhatsApp, allows farmers of agricultural and livestock products and those involved in rural tourism to connect directly with their end-consumers or keep abreast of prices to regulate production costs. Most of the added value goes into their pockets.
The emergence of young rural leaders offers great hope for progress and more equitable welfare. The empirical evidence overcomes the pessimism of the gloomy picture painted by statistical data, which show that rural areas are always left behind – especially regarding poverty – compared to urban areas.
The UGM KKN students’ experience of directly observing the villagers’ entrepreneurial spirit, so they could develop business opportunities and create jobs using rural resources. If this program of nurturing independent young people could be replicated in other villages, it could solve some of the problems in creating quality employment. Village funds from the State Budget could help accelerate successful results.
These young people who have become the agents of change in their villages call to mind Raghuram Rajan\'s views in The Third Pillar (2019). Two other pillars can support grassroots communities: the state, and business or the market. It is believed that balance between the three can produce a sustainable society that is just, democratic and prosperous.