Emerging Paradigm for Empowering the Family and Community for Welfare Enhancement at the Grass Roots

HIGHLIGHTOBSERVATION STUDY TOUR On Emerging Paradigm for Empowering the Family and Community for Welfare Enhancement at the Grass Roots, Jakarta and Yogyakarta, 28-31 Jan 2008

The DAMANDIRI Foundation, hereon forth referred to as the Foundation, has had the privilege to host the OST (Observation Study Tour) on "Emerging Paradigm for Empowering the Fainily and Community for Welfare enhancement at The Grass Roots". True to its vision of Family Prosperity, and the mission of Empowering the Grass Roots Families and Community for their Welfare Enhancement, the Foundation has endeavored hard to materialize the POSDAYA paradigm in the community. Various location-specific POSDAYA have been in operation since the inception in 2006-2007.

Encouraged by the rapid acceptance and adoption of the POSDAYA's concept and its three main pillars of Cotong Royong, of Self-Reliance (Kemandirian), and Empowerment, the Foundation began to initiate firm steps to share and disseminate this novel paradigrn of social change to the wider national and international circles. One of these is holding the OST's for both national and international participants. The OST was held at Jakarta and Yogyakarta on January 28-31 , 2008. The following are highlights and major points in the OST.

OBJECTIVES The overriding objectiveof the OST is toapply the concept of empowering all segmentsof the age spectrum in the farnily and the cornmunity through the community-based POSDAYA model. The specific objectives are:

* To share the community-based POSDAYA Paradigm to international and national participants; ! To share Indonesia's experience in empowering the community in social development through community-based POSDAYA Model; To invite participants to adapt the community-based POSDAYA and other models as appropriate to their respective settings; To share with international and national participants the inception of local community-based and other fore as data base for incumbent social and economic development and future programs.

Participants were Indonesian prograrn policy decision-makers at various levels, both from national-provincial-local levels, both government, non-government agencies, and also from international agencies. Ms Rachel Chua from ICOMP - Malaysia; Mr Abdisalan Osman Abdi, Somalian Embassy in Jakarta, Somalia; Ms Byarlina Gymirti, State Ministry of People's Welfare; Ms Ratna Juita Razak, National Family Plannning Coordinating Board (BKKBN) Mr AdrianusTanjung, the Indonesian Planned Parenthood Association; MrYan Efri Bachtiar, Bogor Agricultural Institute; Ms Noorchayati, State Planning Board of Central Java; Mr Legiman, State Planning board of Central Java; Ms Woro Sulistyaningsih, State Planning Board of Yogyakarta Special Province Ms Mundi Mahaswiati, Kusurna Buana foundation, Indonesia.

EMPOWERING THE COMMUNITY AS AN EFFORT TO REVIVE THE CULTURE OF SELF RELIANCE IN COMMUNITY SOCIAL SECURITY

The Indonesian National Council on Social Welfare (INCSW) was officially established in 1975 as a social organization. The aims of INCSW are : • To coordinate Social Organizations and their efforts in social developments • To study problems commonly shared by various communities in Indonesia • Extending cooperation in a relationship of mutual trust and benefit INCSW focuses its programs on Social Empowerment, listening to what they have to say about their problems and offer ideas for possible solution. INCSW shares the experience of member organizations and other relevant organizations in solving social problems. INCSW develops effective national and international training programs for institutions and administrators throughout Indonesia. ICSW budget has been supported by the central and local government of Indonesia, communities and supplemented by local, national and international donors for training and program activities.

1. Introduction
Indonesia, with a population of about 230 million people in 2007, is home to more than 50 million families living in borderline poverty associated a low educational background. Consequently, with or without natural disasters or social upheavals, Indonesia constantly faces a high number of families either in poverty, or in danger of sinking into it. The Government's work to reduce the numbers of poor families - or of those susceptible to it - is not easy. Rescue measures based on creating a social safety net are confronted by the harsh reality of the sheer numbers of poor and of the "nearly poor'. Poverty relief measures developed tend to suffer a lack of integration and an absence of focused and disciplined measures towards community empowerment. They attract heavy criticism for failing to educate; just endless stop gap emergency charity based measures. They stand accused of nurturing passive acceptance and resignation-even laziness-among recipients.

2. Development of Indonesian Social Participation
To support grassroots level integration, the Indonesian National Council on Social Welfare (INCSW) or DNIKS, Damandiri Foundation, tertiary institutions and numerous community organizations are striving to socialize the concept to regional government and the broader general community. In the first phase, the Damandiri Foundation invites tertiary institutions having concerns for local communities to begin these programs in the neighbourhood of the tertiary institution. Cooperative institutions involve students from poor economic backgrounds, under the guidance of lecturers, and with the incentive of tertiary fees (SPP) being paid by the Foundation as a means of empowerment for the students involved. These students are invited to work off-campus to help low-income families and high school students in the local area.

3. Formation of the Posdaya Groups: Scope, Goals and Objectives
Posdaya is a communication, advocacy and education forum simultaneously institutionalizing and integrating measures to strengthen family functions. Posdaya can be developed as a vehicle for delivery of integrated family services- encompassing family health, education, training and small enterprise support. It may also be an agent for promoting environmental consciousness and a facilitator of self-sustaining family initiatives. In hard economic times, it promotes initiatives to help neighbours and other poor families, it also can function as an effective local safety net.

4. Empowerment Programs
Real empowerment must be based on accurate family mapping. Data collection should focus on poor families that are home to children under 15 years of age. Three family groupings should be identified; poor families in need of assistance to be able to escape poverty, those self-sufficient but without extra resources to help wider family, and, thirdly, established families capable of providing resources to wider family members when needed.

5. The Future Outlook of Posdaya
Under influence of these three or four priorities, it is hoped that communities will gain impetus for continuous development. When undertaken with a high level of commitment, sustainedly and over the long term, communities can expect progress to be reflected by regular rises across a range of living standard and quality indicators (HDI).

OBSERVATION STUDY TOUR On BEST-PRACTICES IN EMPOWERING THE FAMILY AND COMMUNITY FOR WELFARE ENHANCEMENT AT THE GRASS ROOTS

PEOPLE-CENTERED DEVELOPMENT: A BRIEF REVIEW … Indonesia is obsessed with breaking the poverty chain. Many programs have been launched, maintained and institutionalized. The greater part of those programs are centered on women and the family. In the early 1990's these programs became institutionalized into the “1992 Law on Population and Family Development”. Indonesia also saw the development of the Integrated Health and Family Planning, Post, commonly known as the POSYANDU, which among other things is directed for the family, women and children. The 1990s further saw efforts launched by BKKBN (National Family Planning Coordinating Board) to strengthen family development by introducing women groups to income security and motivating them to save and to draw credits. These became known as TAKESRA (savings for family welfare) and KUKESRA (credits for family welfare); in effect the embryo of pre-cooperative and cooperatives. In mid-2000 one would observe the advent of a new paradigm for empowering all members of the family, and of families within their local community. In generic terms this paradigm is labeled as POSDAYA. In essence POSDAYA is a local community forum issues related to representing the interests of all family members, discussing and agreeing on development priorities and needs fulfillment in the community. In summary, those were the milestones in family development and in efforts at alleviating poverty. Within each, there are specific operational interventions, some of which became success stories and others meeting failures. On this ground the strategy of POSDAYA is threefold. First, is developing small to medium scale entrepreneurial activities. Second, is promoting increased access to basic educational opportunities together with life skills training. Thirdly, is increasing access to health services, especially for mothers and children. SHARING BEST PRACTICES ... The principle of the OST is that Indonesia and the host organization, i.e. DAMANDIRI Foundation intend to share with international and national participants all lessons learnt and best practices in various activities and ventures in enhancing grassroots family welfare, and thereupon invite and comments and recommendations for improvement. Those best practice, among others will include the Posdaya paradigm, activities in improving the human resources, in and out of school, and provision of micro credit schemes. Those strategies are consistently and sustainably pursued by adhering to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and based upon Indonesia's principles of the Eight Functions of the Family. Various programs and activities in that arena have been in place, developed, and nurtured. Those will be demonstrated and shared. The theme for this OST is “… Empowerment base on commitment, confidence, conviction and continuity...” OBJECTIVES … The overall objective of the OST is to exchange empirical experiences on providing access and opportunities to grassroots families to participate in, and enjoy the fruits, of their toils in development. The specific objectives are as follows: • Demonstrating the POSDAYA approach as the appropriate paradigm for family and community development; • Demonstrating DAMANDIRI's program on practical Human Resources Development activities, particularly in improving the quality of higher secondary school (SMU) graduates; • Formulating recommendations for possible improvements in family and community and Human Resources Development in general, and for possible replications. METHODOLOGY … National and international participants will attend one-day of official opening and briefings. Days 2 and 3 will be for field observation and discussion with local authorities and cadres. At the end of Day 3 a session on Reflections-Discussions-Synthesis (R-D-S) will be held where participants and local authorities will formulate recommendations for future actions. That session officially closes the sharing program. Participants who are interested to further their observation to other sites of the country, are most welcome. Other recommended sites are Yogyakarta and Bali. For these observation visits, participants are requested to bear their own cost, i.e. air fare and accommodation. DAMANDIRI Foundation as host will provide assistance and facilitation. PARTICIPANTS … Participants will comprise senior and middle-level officials representing national and international Government and Non-Government Agencies in Family and Community Development. DATES AND VENUE ... The OST will he held in August 2008 at Jakarta, Bogor and Serang. As above mentioned optional observation at own cost will be at Yogyakarta and Bali. THE HOST … The organizer and host organization of the OST is the DAMANDIRI Foundation, a national Non-Governmental Organization founded by the former President Suharto in 1996. The overriding aim of the foundation is breaking the poverty chain and to enhance quality families. Pursuant to that aim, the foundation collaborates with various organizations and institutions, both in the government as well as the non-government and civil societies. The foundation also links itself closely with the banking system to enhance small and medium enterprises at the grass roots levels, and to enhance the services of professionals, such as village midwives. Links are also forged with the universities to enhance their community services to help the poor and the under-privileged. Having had significant experience and lessons learnt, the foundation began embarking on sharing those to national and international circles. This is done through seminars and workshops and by inviting national and international participants to Observation Study Tours. In implementing this OST the foundation collaborates closely with related institutions, such as the National Family Planning Coordinating Board (BKKBN) at various levels, the Coordinating Ministry for People’s Welfare, the Ministry of Interior, State and Private Universities and professional associations. THE COST … Participants are recommended to secure funding from their own country organizations or from international donor agencies, for return international travel to Jakarta. The DAMANDIRI Foundation will furnish local costs which includes, full-board accommodation, field observation, insurance and administrative/secretarial work, documentations and reports. FURTHER INFORMATION ... DAMANDIRI Foundation, Granadi Building 11th Floor, Jl. Rasuna Said, Blok X-1, Kav.8-9 Kuningan, South Jakarta, Indonesia Phones : (62-21) 252 4981, 252 4984, 529 64462 Fax : (62-21_ 252 4980, 525 4521 Web site : www.damandiri.or.id e-mail : redaksi@damandiri.or.id, pudjor@yahoo.com

Home School Organization : Myth or Reality?

by Lisa Rae Preston

If I had a nickel for every time I've mumbled, "Now where did I put that?" -- I could be home schooling on a beach in Hawaii.

Organization and "space control" challenge the best of us. It's difficult enough for me to keep all my projects organized, much less assist little ones in the process!

One helpful reminder -- we're not re-creating a miniature public school classroom. It's unnecessary for a home school to include a separate room with desks, a blackboard and alphabet pictures on the wall.

Think of how you learn most effectively. It's probably not in one spot all day. You may find a new cookbook in the kitchen, thumb through it in the living room, and place it on the bedside table to read before going to sleep. Since learning takes place everywhere, let's make it an integral part of our living space.

That doesn't mean spread out all over the house, though, and never picked up! You may have a bookcase of history books in one room and science books in another part of the house. I recommend each child have a plastic container that can slide under the bed for "out of sight" storage.

Different methods work for different folks. Do what fits for your family. Here are additional organization ideas that you may find helpful.

Organizing Your Home School Space

1) A sturdy 4 drawer fining cabinet is perfect for home and school organization. Lesson plans, children's notebooks and portfolios, awesome work, etc. can be stored and retrieved later with relative ease.

2) I find it helpful to use an unusual color for my plan sheet. Most stores have rainbow and neon colored paper. The brightness of the paper makes it much easier to find when misplaced. (Which for me is often!)

3) Add 10-15 extra minutes for a task/activity when you are planning. Then when little things pop up - like the dog throwing up on the living room rug -- you won't be thrown far off schedule.

4) Try to sort your mail every day. Catalogs and letters can take up tons of precious horizontal space. Perhaps you'll want a basket for items you want to get back to later.

5) Clear plastic, hang-over-the-door shoe bags make great holders for craft and home school supplies.

6) Keep a central desk caddy for the stapler, tape, scissors, and stray pencils and pens.

7) Hooks are easily purchased just about anywhere, and they're great to hang clipboards on!

8) Plastic wall pockets can serve the same purpose.

9) Every morning build in "cleaning time" for the whole family. This home school subject is taught daily to keep Mom happy and less stressed!

10) Take one day per week and use it as your home school planning time. Fridays are nice. Yep -- one whole day. Your children can work on reading, crafts, play or individual projects. This day is necessary for sanity, so please set it aside religiously!

11) Communicate and model your expectations for a certain task. Tell your child, show your child, and have him repeat it back to you. The few seconds this takes can save lots of frustration and "having to do it all over again".

Of course, if real learning is occurring, life won't stay perfectly organized all the time. But organization does equal sanity sometimes, and any idea for keeping school organized is worth a second look!

Lisa Preston taught public school for 17 years before becoming a Homeschool Evangelist! Pick up her free book Why You Should Homeschool Your Child: A Public Schoolteacher's Confession at http://www.homeschoolhelper.com.

Send Feedback to Lisa Rae PrestonMore Details about "home school" daily schedule here

Home Schooling – The Best Educational Option

Well, I don’t normally plan on being this longwinded - but this post is exactly why I started this blog, so… Thanks for your indulgence!

Home schooling allows parents to utilize the best teaching and learning practices (such as one-on-one learning instruction) and to implement unique brain strategies. And since you don’t have a classroom of 25 children to manage, you can allow your child to pursue areas of his own interest. This freedom skyrockets motivation!

A home schooled child can have a customized, tailor-made education. How freeing to learn at his own pace, not hurried and frustrated or twiddling thumbs while waiting for others to listen or catch up.

Homeschooling also allows for a breadth and depth of curriculum that isn’t available in the public school. For instance, recent studies show that listening to a foreign language before the age of two gives a child the ability to later learn and speak that language like a native. You don’t have to wait until age 14 to begin Spanish! Many home schooled children learn real-life skills – they can cook, grow their own vegetables, build a house –and they develop musical and artistic talents, too. Some even start their own businesses as early as age 8!

Also, when a person is schooled at home, and there is an emphasis on meaning and understanding. Learning isn’t just a bag of trivial facts, it becomes an entire dimension when you’re home schooling.

Home schooled children are likely to become independent, creative thinkers. They feel free to search for truth and question opinions stated as facts.

Most of a child’s day in the public school is spent trying to fit in, and that interferes with the learning process. Children who don’t have to take the time to develop and use survival mechanisms to keep from being made fun of or bullied, develop strong, confident self-concepts. Moms and Dads are thrilled at their children’s creativity, and at home no one is criticized for having a unique idea.

This relaxed atmosphere allows learning to catapult to heights that just aren’t possible when you have to create ways to survive, and plan ways to belong.

One of the most profound benefits of homeschooling is the strong family relationships that are forged. Respect and manners can be not only taught, but modeled again and again. Service to others just becomes a part of life. Strong families work through their problems together. The companionship and gift of time with our children takes precedence over the frantic pace of the treadmill.

Mae Shell, a homeschooled young lady, is quoted in The Homeschooling Book of Answers (by Linda Dobson). Her words say it better than I ever could. When asked what she’d most remember about being homeschooled, Mae replied, “The first thing that comes to mind is the importance of my family life. And I mean this in every sense you can imagine, not simply loving, but being friends with my family, enjoying their company, supporting them and knowing they support me no matter what happens…

More than being just parents, they are my friends, mentors, teachers, and counselors. I also cherish the friendship of my three younger sisters and older half-brother and sister. I know I will always have these rich, wonderful relationships with my siblings.” Mae goes on to speak of what her family means to her. “I value being a part of this intricate living quilt above everything else.” (pg.222)

Can you put a price tag on this type of family strength and love? It’s worth everything!
Well, that’s a mouthful and a half. I have descended my soap box and promise to have shorter posts on this blog as well!

Take care,
Lisa, http://www.homeschoolevangelist.com/

Overlooked Learning Style - Does Your Child Like to Touch Everything?

Visual, Auditory, Kinesthetic…


…the three biggies we were taught in our education classes and in numerous teacher conferences - these are the ways children learn.


Funny, I never fit into any of those categories.


Then researchers added in the “tactile connection”. Great! Now we have a category while feels like home to me.


Unfortunately, tactile learning is often squashed in with kinesthetic, as it involves touching - which is movement in a sense. But tactile learning is actually very different.


With a true tactile learner, there is something about the actual feel of an item that connects the brain’s circuits with the information to be learned.


We sometimes want children to sit still and listen and quit all movement while they’re reading, watching, or attending to a lecture or sermon. Tactile folks actually learn better if they can be fiddling with some squishy toy, piece of soft fabric, etc. That touch literally heightens the learning process for them and makes things “click”.


I am highly tactile. When I’m in a store, my hands are on unusually textured items constantly. I can be reading about a historical moment, and then touch something symbolic of that moment, and the whole essence of the learning comes alive for me. In that moment of touch, I “get it”.


Particular items I enjoy feeling of while I’m learning are soft blankets, chenille socks, squishy gel toys. But if you can use something symbolic of the learning activity, it’s even more powerful.


For instance, if you’re studying history, go to the cemetery and look for old stones, dating back to the 1700s. Telling the stories of the founding fathers of your town while tracing the faded names and dates can connect children to the reality of the past. These were real people, who really made some sort of difference in the world. What was it? What difference will I make?


When you study bees, capture a specimen, freeze it and touch the wings and body. If that freaks your child out, then buy some honeycomb - anything related to the subject that can be touched.


Spiritual Growth and Connection


Tactile methods work in the spiritual realm, too. For instance, last night I attended a prayer conference where there were prayer stations all around the perimeter of the room. One in particular drew me like a magnet. There was a small table set up with various tapestries and a cross standing in the center. Large pillar candles arranged among the folds of material added a feeling of calm.


I found myself in front of the table during the worship time, touching the fabric and connecting with the Father in a beautiful new way. The feel of the iron cross, the purple satin, the textured deep red fabric - the touch - connected me with Jesus’ heart.


Relating to Others


Tactile children also tend to relate to people and deepen relationships through physical touch. They’re the folks who are always touching loved ones on the shoulder, patting them on the arm, hugging, play wrestling, etc. Without that meaningful physical touch, there’s a feel of “disconnect” in the relationship.


Some children connect by seeing, some by hearing, some by moving around. Others must touch to learn. It’s one reason hands-on activities can be so powerful!


That’s the news for today!


Talk to you later!Lisa, http://www.homeschoolevangelist.com/

Powerful Learning TrickTouch Everything?

Here’s a powerful tip that will skyrocket your child’s test-taking abilities by helping what he’s learning really stick.

And it’s so simple, even a five-year-old can do it!

All you have to do is ask the child to document in some way the jist of what was learned in each subject that day. Younger children can draw a picture. Older children can write a few sentences.
Boring? So non-creative? Ah, therein lies the secret.

When we read information, we can move through quickly, get to the end of the book and then if someone asked us what we learned from that text, we say, “Uhm, well, see, it’s about… uhm… Well, hand it here again…”

But if two minutes are taken at the end of each chapter to form a two sentence synopsis of what the chapter was about, WOW! That information ends up rubber cemented to the brain. If the child talks about what she’s learned within 24 hours, and actually explains those two sentences to someone, the info ends up super-glued to the brain.

This simple tip is often overlooked, because by the end of a learning session, we’re likely eager to skip to something else, or we’re headed out the door. But taking that extra two minutes to summarize the basic ideas of what was learned means that come test time - there won’t need to be a ton of review or stomach ulcers. It’s all cemented in the brain, just waiting for retrieval.

It’s potentially the most valuable two minutes of the learning process!

Talk to you later!Lisa, http://www.homeschoolevangelist.com/

P.S. For numerous tips to help your children learn faster and easier, check out the “Brain Strategies” section at http://www.homeschoolhelper.com

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Golden Age is Early Child Development [Pengembangan Anak Usia Dini/ PAUD]