Universities have significant responsibilities, as stated in the Tri Dharma of Higher Education. Community Service is one of the responsibilities in addition to education and research. The Faculty of Psychology at Dipongero University held community service activities at the KB-TK Islam Terpadu Bina Insani in Sumurboto Village, Banyumanik District, Semarang City, some time ago.
The community service activity held for parents of students has the theme “Effective Communication Training and Personal Competence for Children in the Family.” The community service activities aim to provide education to parents regarding ways to build effective communication and self-competence in children within the family. Community service activities were implemented in the form of delivering parenting lectures with material on effective communication and self-competence of children in the family to students’ parents. The material for this service was presented by the Community Service Team, Faculty of Psychology, Diponegoro University.
Dra. Darosy Endah Hyosyamina, M.Pd., as Team Leader, explained that the family is the primary environment that plays a vital role in forming a child’s character. Therefore, parents have an essential role in the child’s growth and development, attitudes and behavior in the future. Good attitudes and behavior in children in the future can be achieved by providing exemplary care from parents.
“Parenting by building effective communication and stimulating children’s self-competence in the family can help children’s success in the future,” said Darosy.
Yeniar stated, “Parents need to act as friends first, then as children’s parents.” Parents really need to do this to become their child’s friend so that the child feels comfortable and can open up with their parents.
The Community Service Team carried out this activity to a community of the Faculty of Psychology, Diponegoro University, consisting of Dra. Darosy Endah Hyosyamina, M.Pd., Dr. Dinie Ratri Desiningrum, S.Psi., M.Si., Dr. Yeniar Indriana, M.S., Psikolog., Endah Mujiasih, S.Psi, M.Si., and assisted by a team of students Dyah Widhi Winantu, S.Psi., Dewi Anggraeni, S.Msdm., Luthfia Widyandini, Savira Fitri Ifani and Crishella Juliani.
The activity began with a prayer and continued with completing a pre-test related to the material provided. Then, it continued with a lecture session guided by a team of lecturers with material on effective communication in the family and how to build self-competence in children. The activity ended by giving a post-test to the parents of the students present.
According to Darosy, the activity went well. Parents were active in asking questions regarding good parenting to increase effective communication with children and children’s self-competence. Community service activities with the theme Effective Communication and Self-Competence for Children in the Family are practical for parents of early childhood because they provide education for parents. The parents at KB-TK Islam Terpadu Bina Insani Semarang were enthusiastic about taking part in this community service event. They felt the benefits that were visible from the changes in scores from the pre-test and post-test scales, which were distributed to the student’s parents.
In the future, the Community Service Team of the Faculty of Psychology Undip hopes that training and parenting seminars for parents can be held regularly. The community service is in line with the vision of the Faculty of Psychology, which is to become the center for developing Indonesian family-based psychology that is adaptive to changing times in Southeast Asia by 2025. Furthermore, the Community Service Team of the Faculty of Psychology Undip hopes to continue to have an impact on family development in Indonesia, especially in the field of parenting. (Dyah Widhi Winantu)
