by Kate Watson
‘Moshi moshi, Ola Ola,
hello, apa kabar?” The classroom is filled with young women and men, all on
their feet, giggling and talking excitedly. They’ve just learnt a song with
actions (meaning ‘Hello how are you?’ in various languages) and they’re using
it as a springboard to chat with new friends and learn facts about each other.
It’s only been running
for 3 months at SMA Negri 2 Kabupaten Sorong School, but the results of the
Pendidikan Kecapakan Hidup Sehat (PKHS, or Life Skills Education) programme are
already showing through the self-confidence exuding from the students.
“It’s all really
interesting and the games are really great!” says Dwirizki Sandola, age 17.
“They help us express ourselves - we can say what we want, we can ask what we
want!” he adds. Students in Indonesia are rarely given the opportunity to speak
out during classes, so participating like this helps them to find their voices
and feel empowered.
The Life Skills
Education programme consists of a series of life skills topics which young
people are encouraged to discuss and learn about through games, quizzes,
examples and debates. Each session focuses on something new, such as dealing
with conflict, understanding emotions – even topics like bullying or gender.
Others focus on specific risks like drugs, unwanted pregnancy or HIV.
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Students at SMA
Negri 2 Kabupaten Sorong School take part in a life skills class
©UNICEF Indonesia/2017/Kate Watson |
“Before this Life Skills
Education programme began, there were many of us who hung out in bad groups or
who were in negative situations,” Dwirizky explains. “But through this
programme, we were shown how things might eventually turn out.”
This is one of the goals
of the programme, to help young people through the sometimes-difficult
decisions they need to make in their personal lives. It aims to help boost
their confidence, build their social and personal skills, and better navigate
the risks they face.
“Before, I used to do
really bad things. I was violent,” Dwirizky adds. “But through this programme,
I’ve learnt how to handle my emotions and restrain myself.”
Young people in Papua
Province witness violence more often than they should, and so understandably
often also resort to it when emotions take over. It’s a cycle that needs breaking
if young people are going to take control of their futures.
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Dwirizky
Sandola, age 17 says that the life skills classes have helped him and his
friends to express themselves and gain self-confidence.
©UNICEF
Indonesia/2017/Kate Watson
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Rizky Tiara Ramadani,
age 17, is another student who has seen the difference her choices have made.
“I used to get cajoled into joining in [with my friends]” she says. “They would
coerce me to do bad things and I wasn’t brave enough to say no. I didn’t know
how,” she says, defiantly adding that since joining the class, she now knows
exactly how to refuse. She has found her voice.
Learning about the world
from other’s perspectives is a crucial element of the programme, one that
enables the students to empathise with others and see different possibilities
for the future.
“For me, the most
interesting thing about Life Skills Education is learning about tolerance” says
Dwirizky’s friend Kadek Windu Dea Atmaja, also age 17. He moved to the area a
few years ago from the island of Bali. Although it’s still Indonesia, Bali is
several hours away by flight, and miles away in terms of the risks and
challenges faced by each unique culture in the country.
“Most of the people
there are Hindu, and I didn’t often meet people who were different,” says
Kadek, who took a long time to adapt to his new, predominantly Christian
environment. “Over there, it was hard to think that people have a different way
of life.”
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Kadek Windu
Dea Atmaja, age 17, feels more tolerant of others since he has had the
opportunity to discuss different life experiences with his classmates through
the life skills programme.
©UNICEF
Indonesia/2017/Kate Watson
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Through the group
discussions sparked in the Life Skills class, where he and his fellow
classmates share their own experiences, he began to realise that everyone has a
different background and that it makes things more interesting.
“My attitude has
changed, I know more now and I am more tolerant. Maybe I stand out, but now I
can understand that maybe they say bad things just because they don’t
understand.”
It’s something he’s even
passed onto his Grandma, who often complains that their neighbours don’t
understand them. She listens to Kadek, as does his whole family, and he says
it’s given them a lot more to reflect on together. “
The class ends with big
smiles and laughter as the teenagers bounce out of the classroom in twos and
threes ready to eat their lunch. “If this programme didn’t exist, I think the
difference would be enormous,” adds Dwirizki. “Turning negative things into
positive things is huge! If we weren’t guided, there would be no alternatives
and we wouldn’t know where we were going,” he says “Maybe we’d still be doing
bad things until now!”
