Project Citizen: Kami Bangsa Indonesia
SHOWCASE In AMBON
May 20, 2008

By Acih Sari, Program Coordinator

Administrated by the Center for Civic Education Indonesia (CCEI) cooperation with Pattimura University and funded by
the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor

The Kami Bangsa Indonesia – We are Citizen of Indonesia showcase in Ambon was held right on the 100 anniversary of Indonesia`s National Awakening and was really a big event for 14 participated schools. 112 junior high students and 25 civic education teachers, who joined the KBI teachers` training and had mentoring their students in doing the schools` projects for four months, were really enthusiastic and eager to present their projects in front of the juries, principals, other teachers and students and also parents who specially came to Pattimura University to see the teams` presentation. 

Each presentation had shown me how junior high students in Ambon really tried to solve problems at their schools and communities. State and private schools, both Islamic and Christian, were competed to perform the best presentation and portfolios. It wasn’t an easy job for the juries who are also the CCEI local trainers to choose the best three schools in the showcase.

After scoring the presentations, the portfolios and the documentation binders of the participated schools, the SMP Kristen Kalam Kudus (Christian school) was chosen as the first winner with the project’s title the city landscape in Kota Ambon. The second winner was SMPN 1 Ambon (state school) with its wonderful performance in front of the juries. The third winner was SMP Kristen Kusu-Kusu (Christian school) with the project public transportation for students to school. All winners and the best teachers were awarded the trophies, books and souvenirs.

Present was Jeffrey Loree, the Political and Economic Officer of U.S. Consular General in Surabaya at the opening and closing ceremony and he added a valuable mark to the showcase process that day. In his closing speeches, he thanked to the students and their teachers for implementing KBI in their schools and hoped that KBI program useful for them.

In summary, the showcase in Ambon was a wonderful event. It was an event where the teachers and parents should be proud of their students and children because they succeeded in presenting their projects and found solution to solve problems at their own school and community. The togetherness between schools and teachers with different religion backgrounds working together made the showcase in Ambon was more just an event but a program for a better future.