Implementation of the Tri Dharma of Higher Education for lecturers is not only education and training but also providing community service or dedication to the community. The Faculty of Psychology, Diponegoro University, designed and implemented community service program activities, especially for teenage students at SMA Negeri 4 Semarang in August 2023.
Teenagers are chosen as activity targets because they are at an age full of stress and storms. Many challenges must be faced, which require teenagers to be able to adapt to all changes, a flood of information that needs to be filtered, and intense competition to be successful. In line with the changes that occur among teenagers, they are also faced with various challenges that must be met in order to achieve satisfaction, happiness and acceptance from the environment.
Not all teenagers can fulfill these tasks well. According to Hurlock (1973), teenagers experience two problems in fulfilling these tasks, namely, personal problems and problems typical of teenagers. Various challenges faced by teenagers make optimism an essential aspect that teenagers should have. One strategy to increase youth optimism is to stimulate youth self-competence through youth self-competence training in this service program.
This community service aims to provide youth self-competence training to increase optimism in teenagers. Adolescent self-competence training was chosen because various adolescent problems today are vulnerable to forming adolescent personalities who are indifferent to the future and less optimistic about themselves. After participating in this training activity, teenagers will be able to determine the goals they want and make every effort to achieve them. Apart from that, entrepreneurship material is provided with the aim of strengthening the spirit of entrepreneurship from an early age so that later, it will be able to open up employment opportunities for many people.
The training activity was carried out for 120 minutes with two material briefing sessions by Diponegoro University Psychology lecturers. In the first session, Dra. Darosy Endah Hyosyamina, M.Pd. provided material related to teenage problems and their handling, and in the second session, Endah Mujiasih, S.Psi., M.Si. delivered material on strengthening youth competency with entrepreneurship. The activities ended with questionnaires given to students of SMA Negeri 4 Semarang.
The activity was carried out by the Community Service Team, Faculty of Psychology, Diponegoro University, consisting of the team leader, Dr. Dinie Ratri Desiningrum, S.Psi., M.Si., along with members Dr. Yeniar Indriana, M.S., Psikolog, Dra. Darosy Endah Hyoscyamnia, M.Pd., Endah Mujiasih, S.Psi., M.S., and Dr. Nailul Fauziah, S.Psi., M.Psi., Psikolog. They are assisted by a team of master students who collaborated with undergraduate and postgraduate students, including Bella Ayu Dianti Priastuty, S.Psi., Ghina Syauqila, S.Psi., Nabila Aichi, Yushinta Dewi, and Farah Aidah Nafilah.
“The training went smoothly with good enthusiasm from all participants. Students listen carefully to the material given because it feels relevant to the conditions they are experiencing during adolescence. Teenagers seriously answered the questions asked during the training from the Community Service Team,” said Dinie, Head of the Community Service Team. The students were enthusiastic about participating in training activities and felt the benefits of the evaluation forms that had been distributed and filled in by the students.
The community service team of the Faculty of Psychology Undip hopes that in the future, it can be implemented regularly in every school so that students who feel they have no aspirations or goals in life can gain enlightenment and be optimistic about a bright future. Furthermore, developments in the times with various technological advances have a direct influence on adolescent problems, so similar training is needed to strengthen the potential of adolescents. (Bella Ayu Dianti Priastuty)
