The National Resilience Master Program at the Graduate School of Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) held a public lecture and citizen journalism workshop titled “Strengthening Citizen Journalism to Achieve Sociocultural Resilience” at the Margokaton Village Hall, Seyegan Subdistrict, Sleman. This event aimed to equip village youth with journalistic and digital literacy skills, enabling them to build a healthy information ecosystem at the community level.
Part of the university’s Community Service Program (PKM), the event was attended by youth from Karang Taruna Margokaton and took place on September 13th 2025, at the Margokaton Village Hall, Seyegan, Sleman, Yogyakarta.
The event opened with the presence of the Seyegan Subdistrict Leadership Communication Forum (Forkopimcam) and Margokaton village officials, all of whom gave their full support to the initiative for strengthening community literacy.
As the keynote speaker, Prof. Dr. Armaidy Armawi, M.Si., Chief of the National Resilience Program at UGM, emphasized the critical role of citizen journalism in reinforcing sociocultural cohesion. ‘Young people must be aware of the digital world as a public space that demands ethics and responsibility. Citizen journalism can serve as a medium for conveying accurate information, encouraging community participation, and countering hoaxes,” stressed Prof. Armaidy.
Prof. Armaidy, in his talk, invited participants to reflect on national values through patriotic songs such as “Ibu Pertiwi” and “Indonesia Pusaka.” According to him, the emotional reaction—getting goosebumps—when singing these songs is a sign that hope for Indonesia still lives on. He added that while independence should have made the nation stronger, the biggest challenge today comes from citizens’ neglect of public ethics.
One of the participants, Satria Manggalana, expressed his enthusiasm for the workshop. “Besides learning journalism skills, we gained a new perspective on what citizen journalism is. I think this is something we can develop in our village, so we become more recognized and connected. We hope a citizen news portal can become a platform for the youth,” he said.
In addition to the lecture, the event continued with technical training sessions. Youth members of Karang Taruna Margokaton received materials on basic news writing, photojournalism techniques, journalistic ethics, digital literacy, and safe internet practices. These sessions were delivered not only by UGM academics but also practitioners from the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) Yogyakarta, including senior journalist Bambang Muryanto and photojournalist Ade Dani.
Participants, through this training, are expected to produce citizen journalism content that can be published on digital community news platforms. Therefore, citizen journalism in Margokaton will not only enhance community literacy but also contribute to social cohesion and local economic empowerment. “Our hope is that Margokaton youth will become pioneers in building a healthy and responsible information ecosystem. Through citizen journalism, they can help safeguard sociocultural resilience while promoting the village’s local potential,” concluded Prof. Armaidy.
This initiative aligns with the implementation of several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Goal 3: Good Health and Well-being, Goal 4: Quality Education, Goal 10: Reduced Inequalities, Goal 12: Responsible Consumption and Production, Goal 17: Partnerships for the Goals
Writer: Arni Wistriatun
Editor: Ana Anggraini