FU, Jakarta – Approaching its 16th anniversary on November 11 2023, the National Executive Board of the Indonesian Citizen Journalists Association (Persatuan Pewarta Warga Indonesia – PPWI) has designated the month of November from November 1 to 30 every year, as the Month of Citizen Journalists Service, which will be filled with various humanitarian social service activities and community empowerment as well as the promotion of environmental improvement, both at the national and global levels. November 2023 will see the implementation of this decree for the first time.
Programs that can be carried out by every citizen journalist, both those who are members of PPWI and citizen journalists in general, during the Month of Citizen Journalists Service, include those described below. Each citizen reporter can choose activities that are priorities in their respective places, also taking into account the availability of existing resources.
Human Resources Sector
1. Giving Awards to Good Teachers and Good Lecturers in Indonesia.
2. Giving Awards to the Caring for Veterans, Caring for Orphans, Caring for Mentally Ill Sufferers.
3. Giving Awards to Journalists and Citizen Reporters.
4. Conducting Competency Certification for Journalists and Citizen Reporters.
5. Organizing Journalism Education and Training for Journalists and Citizen Reporters.
6. Carrying out education, seminars, training, field work practices.
Social and Humanitarian Sector
1. Establishing a Concerned Citizen Journalist Wallet program.
2. Carrying out blood donations, mass circumcisions and free health checks.
3. Conducting social service visits, such as to nursing homes, orphanages, the poor, sick colleagues/friends, colleagues/friends in detention centers and correctional institutions, and other vulnerable community groups.
4. Providing assistance with facilities for residents who have limitations, such as wheelchairs, blind canes, braille books, etc.
5. Collecting and distributing library books to schools in need.
6. Organizing intra- and/or inter-faith joint prayers and programs to defend marginalized communities.
Economics and Community Empowerment Sector
1. Carrying out house renovations for underprivileged journalists and journalists.
2. Organizing training and/or seminars on entrepreneurship and Small Business Enterprise.
3. Raising business capital funds for journalists and citizen journalists who need it.
4. Building an independent entrepreneurial network among journalists and citizen reporters as well as the general public.
5. Carrying out Small Business Enterprise bazaars and cheap markets.
6. Developing apprenticeship programs and work in various available jobs, both domestically and abroad.
Arts, Culture and Sports Fields
1. Organizing song creation competitions, including children’s songs, dangdut songs, pop songs, regional songs and other types of songs.
2. Organizing art creation competitions for children and teenagers.
3. Holding sports competitions between journalists, citizen journalists and the general public.
4. Conducting visits and exchange of citizen journalists between regions between nations between countries.
5. Organizing festivals, parades and traditional arts and culture exhibitions.
Environmental Sector
1. Planting trees on empty and/or abandoned land.
2. Providing tree seedlings to community groups who need them.
3. Cultivating fruit plants to distribute to local residents.
4. Carrying out mutual cooperation in each neighbourhood by inviting as much participation from local residents as possible.
5. Holding interactive meetings and discussions on the theme of improving and preserving nature and the environment with various elements of society.
Media and Publication Sector
1. Developing citizen reporting media, both in quality and quantity.
2. Developing a network of a million online media.
3. Forming a Citizens Journalist Watch Forum.
Implementation Strategies
In its implementation, PPWI suggests several things, including those mentioned below. PPWI hopes that every citizen journalist can participate in the 2023 Citizen Journalists Service Month program.
1. Each program and/or activity mentioned above can be implemented at the level of international, national, regional, branch and citizen journalist nodes in their respective places or regions.
2. It is highly recommended that every citizen reporter establishes communication, coordination, collaboration and cooperation with various parties who can be invited to collaborate in their respective environments.
3. For areas that already have PPWI management and/or citizen journalist partner organizations, their activities are coordinated and/or led directly by the management and members. For those who don’t have one, an ad-hoc implementing group for the Month of Citizen Journalists Service can be formed.
4. Every activity carried out must be documented, made news and published jointly in the media in the PPWI Media Group network and its partners.
5. It is very important for every citizen journalist to involve as many elements of society as possible in their respective environment in implementing the Citizen Journalists Service Month activities, either as implementers, supporters, sponsors, sponsors, donors, or as participants in activity programs.
6. Each PPWI administrator and member as well as citizen journalists in general can add other activities according to their individual aspirations.
Hope and Appeal
Apart from that, PPWI specifically hopes that all parties, including institutions, agencies, groups and individuals, both government and private, will contact PPWI administrators in their respective regions if there is a social program they want to distribute to the community. In other words, if you want to distribute social assistance to residents who need help, you can contact PPWI to help distribute the assistance to the target residents. The PPWI national secretariat can be contacted via telephone 021-53668243 and/or mobile 081286365336 (Ms. Eva Susanti) and/or 085772004248 (Ms. Wina).
Finally, this information is issued and published to become a common reference in implementing the Month of Citizens Journalists Service. Thank you. (APL/Ed)