Community Service

KBM and IFI Yogyakarta Collaborate to Face Digital Challenges (July 5–6, 2025)

Responding to the increasingly complex dynamics of the digital era, the KBM program has officially entered into a collaboration with the Institut Français d’Indonésie (IFI) Yogyakarta in a Community Service (PkM) initiative. This cooperation is focused on efforts to respond to the challenges of digitalization and to champion human values through collective action.

This program was born as a form of constructive critique toward various digital issues, ranging from inequality of access and data exploitation to the prevalence of misinformation. Through this collaboration, both institutions are committed to designing responsive digital-based empowerment programs while building alternative narratives for community groups that have been marginalized.

This PkM activity carries the primary mission of educating the public regarding sensitive issues, specifically gender-based violence and discrimination. Through visual approaches such as film, photography, and infographics, the program seeks to uncover discriminatory practices that are often unrecognized by both perpetrators and victims. Beyond education, this collaboration aims to ignite public courage to be critical and to resist all forms of violence occurring in the surrounding environment.

As a concrete step in realizing an inclusive society, KBM and IFI Yogyakarta are organizing a series of activities that combine artistic and intellectual elements. The main proposed agenda includes:

• Film Screenings and Discussions: A dialectical space to dissect social issues in depth.

• Photography and Infographic Exhibition: Visualization of data and social reality as a medium for public awareness.

This collaboration is expected not only to be a ceremonial action but to provide a long-term impact on the strengthening of social and digital literacy in society.

KBM PkM Efforts to Boost Resident Economy, UGM and Margodadi BUMKal Design Thematic Tourism (April - October 2024)

The Community Service (PkM) team from the UGM Cultural and Media Studies (KBM) Master's Program is collaborating with BUMKal Margodadi to strengthen the potential of tourism villages in the Grogol Hamlet area, Margodadi Village, Seyegan District, Sleman. This program aims to revitalize the economy of residents affected by the Jogja-Bawen toll road construction project.

Grogol Hamlet, which has held the status of an Independent Tourism Village since 2001, was chosen as the development center. Grogol's success in managing cultural and natural tourism will serve as a magnet for surrounding hamlets that have previously struggled to develop. Grogol already possesses complete facilities and a well-known reputation; therefore, in designing the tourism villages in Margodadi, Grogol serves as a meeting point to encourage tourists to also visit the tourism potential in neighboring hamlets.

Based on field surveys and correspondence with BUMKal management, the KBM PkM team produced several programs, namely mapping tourism potential, formulating integrated tourism packages, and training on optimizing social media for tourism village promotion. The three tourism packages offered are:

• Cultural Tourism: Learning traditional archery (Jemparingan), batik making, and pottery.

• Agrotourism: Experiences in feeding sheep, planting rice in the fields, and visiting a nata de coco factory.

• Religious Tourism: Retracing the footsteps of Sunan Kalijaga and the unique traditions of the local community.

Despite having great potential, tourism village managers have been hindered by promotional techniques. The Instagram account @dewata_grogol, which has 1,300 followers, is considered suboptimal due to a lack of engaging captions and a need for improved visual quality.

To address this, UGM organized a Content Creation Workshop for local Karang Taruna youth. They were trained in photography techniques, videography using mobile phones, and video editing to help content go viral on social media.

The development of this tourism village has become crucial as the Seyegan area is currently undergoing a conversion of agricultural land due to the toll road project. With the reduction of rice fields, residents who were previously farmers are now being encouraged to transition to the tourism and creative services sectors to maintain the village's economic independence.

Contributor: Adhani J. Emha

Graphic Design and English Language Training, and  "Stakeholders Engagements" Sharing Session at the Papua Mandiri Foundation (July 29th-30th, 2022)

On Friday and Saturday (29-30 July 2022), a Community Dedication program was held in collaboration with the Media and Cultural Studies, Universitas Gadjah Mada with DKV and PGSD Study Programs, Nusa Putra University, and Papua Mandiri Sentosa Foundation. The program's agenda which lasted for two days was filled with English language training, graphic design, and Stakeholder Engagement Sharing Sessions.

Public Discussion: “Digitalisasi TV dan Problem Demokratisasi Penyiaran di Indonesia” (November 3rd, 2021)

The Media and Cultural Studies Program and Pemantau Regulasi dan Regulator Media (PR2Media) held a public discussion titled "Digitalisasi TV dan Problem Demokratisasi Penyiaran di Indonesia" on Wednesday, 3 November 2021. Muhammad Farhan S.E. (Member of Commission I DPR-RI of Nasional Demokrat Party) and Puji Rianto, M.A. (Researcher at PR2Media and Doctoral Student at Media and Cultural Studies UGM) are the speakers of this event. This event discusses the problem of analog to digital (TV digitization) transitioning TV broadcasting and democratization of broadcasting in Indonesia.

Discussion Series in collaboration with KANTIN (September 2020 - February 2021)

The Media and Cultural Studies Program with KANTIN (Kajian Rutin) held a series of discussions during September 2020-February 2021. This discussion series raised various themes, ranging from “The Practice of Isolating COVID-19 Patients as Colonial Heritage” to “Identity Politics and Chinese Peranakan Nationalism in Indonesia”.

Community Service at Bumi Cendekia (2019)

Media and Cultural Studies Program held community service in collaboration with the Bumi Cendekia Islamic Boarding School. This service activity includes the mural, graphic design, and music training for the youth.