The U-FOLUNTEER activity is the initiation of the Human Resource Development Division (HRDD) of the UGM Photography Student Activity Unit (UFO) in the context of community service. This time, U-FOLUNTEER was held on Monday, December 16, 2024 with the aim of increasing the awareness of UFO UGM members to environmental issues around the community and trying to support education for children in coastal areas. With the theme “Cleaning the Beach and Donating Books for Children”, UFO UGM collaborates with Garduaction based on the similarity of the vision and mission of this year’s U-FOLUNTEER service, namely the waste problem.
Maura, Chairperson of the HRD Division of UFO UGM, explained the importance of U-FOLUNTEER’s collaboration with Garduaction to support the achievement of SDGs in reducing inequality in coastal life and protecting marine ecosystems. They implemented this through beach cleanup activities, making paving blocks from plastic waste, and donating children’s books to the Garduaction library. Not only that, this U-FOLUNTEER activity is also expected to be a medium for UFO UGM members to strengthen social relationships and strengthen the sense of belonging between members through a series of games.
The activity carried out by UFO UGM members from the morning began with beach cleaning activities and then continued with education about the problem of waste around Parangkusumo Beach and processing it into paving blocks. The waste processed into paving blocks comes from plastic waste that has been sorted into three types, namely plain plastic, patterned plastic, and plastic with aluminum foil.
After learning about waste, the last activity of U-FOLUNTEER was to donate reading books to children around Parangkusumo Beach. Nisa, one of the U-FOLUNTEER participants, felt that she got a new perspective from this activity. “I came to understand that there are also many prostitution areas in the coastal areas, so it’s not just the city areas that need to be cared for, because the coastal areas also need attention,” she said.
Through U-FOLUNTEER, UFO UGM hopes to be a means of disseminating information for small communities such as Garduaction so that in the future it can be increasingly recognized by the wider community. In addition, this activity is expected to increase members’ awareness to protect the environment, understand the importance of waste utilization and management. As an Student Activity Unit that focuses on photography, UFO UGM believes photos can be a medium to spread public awareness and support and illustrate the contribution of dedication to SDGs.
Author: Fatimah Azzahrah (UFO PR)
Photographer: Aurellya Ratna Dewanti