In August 2022, CarbonEthics Indonesia returned once again to Dompak Island for Selayang Pandang Term 2 after being successful with the first one. Selayang Pandang is a Malay saying for “Sekilas (lintas) pandang” in Bahasa or “A Glance” in English. The program was created to educate, empower, and raise awareness to CarbonEthics Petani Pesisir Dompak Laut (PPDL), the mangrove farmers in Dompak, Bintan Island. CarbonEthics knew that PPDL farmers were aware of the economic function of our blue carbon ecosystem. However, CarbonEthics realized that there still lies an urgency to educate PPDL farmers regarding its ecological function and long-term impact on our planet. Hence, an internal capacity-building program called ‘Selayang Pandang’ was established. In Selayang Pandang 2, CarbonEthics focused on educating farmers regarding blue carbon topics.
Selayang Pandang Term 2 was also split into two sessions just like the first one. This time, though, four interns from Universitas Maritim Raja Ali Haji (UMRAH) were recruited to help as facilitators. The series of activities on Friday, August 12, 2022, consists of an opening, a brief refresher lesson on Selayang Pandang Term 1, a continuous storytelling activity, a “Letter to My Future Self” activity, and a closing.
In the refresher period, farmers were taught the previous lessons from Selayang Pandang Term 1 again, about climate change and the importance of their work—planting mangroves. This was organized by using the interactive and fun ‘Charades’ game in which farmers guess keywords in blue carbon topics. Afterwards the activities continued with the continuous storytelling session in which farmers were given a certain scenario and had to make up an ending to a story about coastal life situations. Their current knowledge on blue carbon issues would be reflected in this activity. Lastly, there was the ‘Letter to My Future Self’ session, where farmers were asked to write a letter to themselves in the far future. They wrote down their future hopes, dreams, and expectations for themselves and also wished to see a brighter future for our planet and coastal ecosystems.
The second session was then held on Tuesday, Aug 30, 2022. Activities include an opening, a Seagrass vs. Mangroves Assessment, Exchanging Knowledge Activity, as well as a Final Presentation. For the Seagrass vs. Mangroves Assessment, farmers answered open-ended questions that would reflect their knowledge on blue carbon topics. The activity afterwards was a knowledge exchange session between groups. It was held so that farmers could have a more comprehensive understanding on what they have learned by filling each other’s knowledge gaps via the exchanges. Finally, a presentation and a quiz were held to evaluate the farmers’ knowledge on the lessons thus far.
Overall, the farmers enjoyed their time in learning and assessing their knowledge of blue carbon through these activities. Furthermore, they have also greatly advanced their knowledge about blue carbon, mangroves, seagrasses, and seaweeds. They might have an “exam” coming up, just like every other course out there, to challenge their knowledge and problem-solving. The difference is, their “exams” are real problems and challenges that they face as part of the coastal communities, the most impacted communities by climate change. Thankfully, through this program, the farmers have been well-equipped as the answers are not only within their minds but also within their hearts as well. It is with this and other future community development programs that CarbonEthics hope farmers, as well as communities, would be more aware of the current issues our Earth is facing and be part of the solution.
Writer: Christa Anggelia Sulistio
Editor: Howen Jayawi