Diponegoro University – Semarang (9/7). The Rector of Diponegoro University, Prof. Dr. Suharnomo, S.E., M.Si., officially dispatched 7,254 students to carry out the Community Service (Kuliah Kerja Nyata / KKN) program at the Deployment Ceremony for Diponegoro University Community Service Team II Students for the Academic Year 2023/2024, held in a hybrid format at the UNDIP stadium, Tembalang campus.
For this period, the Community Service students will be placed in 12 regions in Central Java, covering 11 regencies: Pemalang, Pekalongan, Batang, Temanggung, Magelang, Boyolali, Klaten, Sukoharjo, Sragen, Karanganyar, and Wonogiri, as well as 1 city, Surakarta. They will undertake the Community Service program in 82 districts to implement the knowledge they have acquired in the target areas for approximately 45 days.
In his speech as the ceremony leader, the Rector expressed pride and appreciation for the achievements of the P2KKN (Community Service Center) LPPM UNDIP, which won the 2024 Best Implementation of the Stunting Care Student Program award from the National Population and Family Planning Agency (BKKBN). “Recently, P2KKN LPPM UNDIP achieved outstanding performance in the KKN Team I activities by winning 1st place in the national stunting care student program implementation in 2024. So UNDIP is number 1 and received an award from BKKBN. Therefore, KKN Team II for the 2023/2024 academic year is also expected to leave a legacy that the wider community can remember,” said Prof. Suharnomo.
Prof. Suharnomo advised the Community Service students to follow the good local norms, policies, and customs when in a new place and keep them the same. “By being adaptive, we will learn a lot about life skills. With the flood of information, we might be outstanding cognitively in knowledge but very weak in attitude and behavior. It is also hoped that Community Service will serve as a formal direct touch from UNDIP to the Community Service students so that they can interact with the community,” added the Rector.
It is crucial to make an excellent first impression that will determine the community’s support, maintain it, and ultimately leave a lasting impression on the community that receives the KKN program.
With 7,254 students implementing the Community Service program, it is undoubtedly a considerable number requiring significant effort from P2KKN, LPPM, and Community Service supervisors to handle it. “Hopefully, Community Service students are considered mature enough to manage themselves, behave appropriately in the community, and be beneficial. It is hoped that this period of UNDIP Community Service activities and future ones will be successful, smooth, and beneficial, with students departing and returning healthy and safe while maintaining good conduct. With the tagline UNDIP Bermartabat and UNDIP Bermanfaat, the two main programs are to participate in alleviating extreme poverty in Central Java and making Central Java a center for national food security,” emphasized Prof. Suharnomo.
Furthermore, during the reporting session by the Head of the Community Service Center (P2KKN), Kurniawan Teguh Martono, S.T., M.T., he mentioned that the implementation of the Community Service Team II work program starts from July 9 to August 21, 2024, with the theme “Inclusive Community Empowerment through Leading Potentials.” This theme aligns with UNDIP’s program to reduce poverty and enhance food security in Central Java province.
“To support the work program, 245 lecturers from 11 faculties and 1 School are involved as Community Service supervisors. They also collaborate with institutional partners such as BKKBN Central Java Representative and UNICEF,” he explained.
The programs implemented during this Community Service period include accelerating the reduction of stunting in 30 villages across 10 regencies; maternal and child health in 6 regencies; empowering out-of-school children; mapping and managing regional potentials to support community empowerment; and scientific programs aimed at providing students with new experiences in applying knowledge in the community.
“In addition to the above programs, this Community Service activity also aims to enhance students’ non-technical skills such as problem-solving, public speaking, teamwork, and leadership,” concluded Teguh. (DHW & LW-Public Relations)
