Semua Murid Semua Guru (SMSG) is an educational organization which focuses and believes in the power of collaboration. The founder of SMSG, Najeela Shihab, is an educator and activist of education. The organization focuses on how collaboration among independent communities and organizations would have more impact rather than if the communities and organizations worked alone. Together, the communities could build a bigger impact and establish better network among each other.
Project child Indonesia (PCI) is seen as one of the NGOs which has already established the collaboration movement in their programs. Especially, the River School Program which runs as the longest program in PCI. There are a variety of collaborations among the stake holders: community members, students, volunteers, sustainable funding and involvement from volunteer abroad.
There were about 28 students from the river school site present during the visitation. The Co-founder of PCI, Surayah Ryha, and the founder of SMSG, Najeela Shihab, discussed about the importance of educational development among alternative education. There are many underrated communities who are already working on educational movements to support the government’s agenda of reforming education. These organizations, such as PCI, are already involved in this educational movement and have developed sustainable programs for quite awhile now. This good movement is something which needs to be shared among educational activists. Furthermore, there were mass medias from all across the nation who also came to visit and were interested to spread the good news.
After the visitation, PCI is given time to share about the ideas of alternative education among other communities in Green host hotel and to broaden the network by joining the networking session initiated by SMSG. The visitation held in PCI is expected to give more insight upon possible collaborations between SMSG and also other communities. The collaboration would certainly relate to the scope of Project Child Indonesia. The community development is one of the possible collaborations concerning the community members surrounding river school sites.
There are other expected outcomes from the networking sessions with SMSG and the networks within SMSG: there will be more good news about the alternative education movement in Indonesia to encourage the idea of volunteerism to people reading the news, and possible collaboration with more communities under the same movement. Most of all, establishing better networks with SMSG, media, other communities within SMSG network.
By: Filla Lavenia Palupy
