Community Development Literacy Initiative: Enhancing Literacy Among Students Through Innovative Activities
UIN Siber Syekh Nurjati -- The International Office and Partnership of UIN Siber Syekh Nurjati Cirebon held its inaugural meeting for the Community Development Literacy program on October 5, 2024. This meeting served as an initial step in introducing the community to students and involved partners, including Lingkar Baca and Verbum Nexus as the main media partners.
This program aims to enhance literacy skills among both national and international students by integrating traditional and modern literacy approaches. The International Office team presented their role as facilitators in strengthening student engagement in literacy activities involving various elements, such as visual, narrative, and emotional literacy.
"It is hoped that with this collaboration, we can make a change for a literacy revolution among Gen Z and Gen Alpha," said Azkiya, a representative from the Global Engagement Team. This statement emphasizes the commitment to bringing literacy to a broader and more relevant level for the youth.
One of the main agendas of this meeting was the introduction of upcoming activities. The program plans to host various events, such as film production, weekly reading sessions, and literary creation based on neuroscience, Reading for Emotion, and Ramachandran's theory. Additionally, the program will organize national and international seminars and workshops aimed at deepening the emotional and aesthetic aspects of literacy.
"We are concerned to see that young people today do not understand the essence of what they are learning. They seem reluctant to grasp the meaning of books, and as we observe now, many students struggle to think critically due to a lack of understanding from reading materials," said Yahya from Lingkar Baca.
As part of the long-term plan, the program will also conduct literacy tours to schools in the Majalengka and Cirebon areas. Aiming to introduce the concepts of Reading for Emotions and Reading for Aesthetics, this tour is expected to help young students develop their emotional literacy skills.
Collaboration with Lingkar Baca and Verbum Nexus is anticipated to strengthen the sustainability of this program. This inaugural meeting provided an optimistic outlook on the future of literacy, making it more relevant and adaptive among the youth while paving the way for further collaboration in student literacy development.
