Information Technology Training for Community Groups

In this digital era, Information and Communication Technology (TIK) has become an integral part of community life. However, in villages, access to and utilization of TIK are still lagging behind those in urban areas. This has resulted in a digital divide that hinders village development and community welfare, even though the proper use of TIK has great potential to improve village potential and community welfare. Nevertheless, many community groups still lack the necessary knowledge and skills to utilize TIK optimally.

Therefore, efforts are needed to increase the capacity of village groups in utilizing TIK. This can be done through several strategies, one of which is workshops. In Buruk Bakul Village itself, Yayasan Gambut and the Sekat Bakau Group of Buruk Bakul Village held a workshop to improve the group's ability in utilizing information and communication technology, with Serindit.id as a speaker in the TIK utilization workshop. This activity is part of a series of mangrove ecosystem conservation programs with the Global Environment Centre, supported by ARAMCO Asia Singapore

Videos made by sekat bakau members using smartphones and distributed through social media

This workshop was also supported by the active participation of the Bukit Batu Subdistrict Government and the Buruk Bakul Village Government, as well as local community organizations, which were the main drivers of the training activities. The workshop participants were village groups, village officials, Buruk Bakul Village community members, and youths in Buruk Bakul Village. The materials provided were about the use of internet features that can be used through mobile phones, such as the use of AI features, cloud storage, social media, and free applications for packaging interesting information. Why through mobile phones? Because this is intended to make it easier for the community to use these features, as they are easily accessible and flexible.

The instructor in the training process was the Serindit.id team, providing material on creating “Video Gampil” for the community and village groups to develop and promote village potential through their respective social media. This also aims to disseminate information and communication widely and attractively through “Video Gampil” with simple but very informative presentations.

Remarks from the Buruk Bakul Village Government

In this training, the opening was attended by the Camat of Bukit Batu, also attended by the Danramil of Bukit Batu and the Buruk Bakul Village Government. The participants who attended were not only from the Sekat Bakau Group, but also included representatives from Yayasan Bahtera Melayu, KTH Pakning Asal, the Buruk Bakul Village Women's Group, KTH Kerapu, KTH MEP Gawar, KTWMJ Temiang Village, KTH Sepahat Hijau, POKDARWIS Kampung Kayu Ara.

Each participant practiced directly related to the material that had been explained, with each participant producing 1 educational or introductory video. The practice was carried out to make the participants understand and directly apply the material. The active participation and enthusiasm of the participants were a reflection of the success of the workshop. Serindit.id conducted a response survey through sticky notes distributed to each participant to determine their level of understanding. Many of the participants already understood the use of TIK and the creation of “Video Gampil”, but the participants felt that they still lacked creative ideas to create interesting content that would attract people's attention when posted on social media.