Training of Civic Education Program
Project Citizen: KAMI BANGSA INDONESIA
A Professional Development for Civic Education Teachers
in Conflict and Post Conflict Areas
Sorong – West Papua, 27-29 February 2008

This workshop was administered by the Center for Civic Education Indonesia (CCEI)
cooperating with Education Office of Sorong, Al-Amin University and Muhammadiyah Sorong College, and funded by the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor

 

I. Facts

• The goal of this Kami Bangsa Indonesia (KBI) training was to introduce the program to the civic education teachers in potential areas of conflict in Sorong, West Papua.
• Although a peaceful area currently, Sorong is one potential conflict area in West Papua because of the Free Papua Movement, trans-migration and interfaith issues. These issues are of great concern to all residents of Papua and the government.

Quotes:

1. This was such an impressive training for me. In this training, the participants were given a chance to be involved actively. I also got a wonderful new teaching method and materials. (Hadidjah Maknun, MTs Model Sorong)
2. KBI training is very meaningful. Besides broadening our horizons as civic education teachers, it can also have an impact of uniting the people. (Marthen S. Sosang, SMPN 4 Sorong)
3. I really thank CCE for holding this training in my area. I’m confident that this training can bring students together and improve our way of teaching to be better. (Agustina Tandililing, SMP Advent Sorong)

II. Personal Perspective (Acih Sari, CCEI Program Coordinator)

The success of Kami Bangsa Indonesia training in Sorong, West Papua on 27-29 February 2008 was more than I expected. At first, there was a lot of doubt and many difficulties to arrange a training there but with the support from our local trainings and their institutions the training run successfully. Forty five participants from 26 schools (14 public schools and 12 private schools) attended the three days training which was opened by encouraging and supportive speeches from the head of Education Office of Sorong, rectors of Muhammadiyah Sorong Education College and Al-Amin University. This private school has an Islamic, Christian and mixed religion background student body. In this training, teachers from all different religions and ethnic backgrounds were working together in every session of the training.

Three of the participants, voluntarily and at their own expense, travelled 17 hours by boat to attend the training and more than 10 participants lived 45 km away from Sorong State High School, where the training took place. All participants enthusiastically and actively completed every session in the training. On the first day of the training, the participants got information about the six steps in the KBI program. After a voting process, the problem of there is no public library in Sorong and the lack of guidance books for the students were chosen as class cases.

In the second day of the training, in order to get more information about their cases, every group was assigned to interview community or religious leaders and professional people who were related to the case, find information from books, visit governmental institutions and find information from newspapers. They started to make portfolios with guidance from the local trainers. In KBI trainings, the participants not only got KBI materials but also got theories and strategies how to learn and teach civic education effectively. Information about junior high school students learned was intended to help the teachers to be able to understand their students better.

In conclusion, the participants found that KBI program was a good civic education program which gave them new method and techniques in teaching civic to their students. The training also became a forum where three participants can share their problems and comments with each other and with the Education Office officers. Most importantly, teachers now have a context where students from differing faiths and ethnic groups can learn together to solve community issues. By addressing these small issues as teams students learn that working together in a peaceful constructive manner is the most productive path.