Gender Center LPPM Holds Webinar on Organizing Marginal Communities
Unesa.ac.id, SURABAYA—Universitas Negeri Surabaya (UNESA), through the Gender Center, Research and Community Service Institute (LPPM), held a webinar titled "Organizing Marginal Communities" on Friday, October 4, 2024.
Representing the Head of LPPM, Sjafiatul Mardliyah stated that this event focused on issues faced by marginal groups. It also discussed how proper organizing strategies can enhance active participation and the sustainable welfare of marginal groups.
"This webinar is the beginning of a longer process to ensure that the voices and potential of marginal communities can truly be heard and realized in concrete actions," she said.
In the material session, the speaker Rofik Jalal Rosyanafi, a lecturer in Non-Formal Education at UNESA, discussed in-depth the characteristics of marginalization in society. According to him, marginalized groups generally suffer from discrimination and subordination, sharing a sense of collective identity and common burdens.
Marginal groups also often have different physical characteristics that are not approved by the dominant group, and various social rules limit who is considered "included" or "excluded" in society.
"These groups usually have low or no access to the necessary resources," he explained.
He also outlined some of the main causes of marginalization, including high levels of poverty and unemployment affecting marginalized groups. Additionally, negative stereotypes often attached to marginal groups exacerbate their conditions, compounded by cultural factors and policy monopolies controlled by the dominant group.
All of this ultimately weakens the human resource potential possessed by marginal groups.
As a recommendation to address this condition, he emphasized the importance of an approach through non-formal education. He suggested relevant skills training for marginal communities, inclusive and functional literacy programs, and efforts to enhance community capacity through lifelong learning.
"Awareness and advocacy programs are very important so that marginal communities can better understand their rights and actively participate in the social development process," he concluded.
In the next session, Toto Rahardjo, a Community Development Facilitator from the Indonesian Society for Social Transformation (INSIST) Yogyakarta, conveyed the importance of building relationships with the community. This is also a first step in the community organizing process.
He emphasized that building friendships or relationships with the community is key to understanding their conditions and needs. The team must also be willing to learn from their lives, not come with the pretense of being leaders or elders.
"The most important thing is to believe that the community has the potential and ability to build itself," he said.
The community development process must start from what the community itself has, so that every empowerment effort can be more relevant and in accordance with local conditions. The organizing process begins with an approach, then continues with facilitating the process of designing strategies, mobilizing actions, and building organizational support systems.
"We need to understand the perspective used by the community in seeing problems, so that the solutions provided are truly appropriate and effective," he stressed.
The discussion not only opened new insights but also motivated participants to actively support the organization of marginal communities through an inclusive and participatory approach.[*}
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Reporter: Mohammad Dian Purnama (FMIPA)
Editor: @zam*
Photo: UNESA Public Relations Team
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