As part of its commitment to sharing academic and community-based initiatives with the broader public and institutional stakeholders, the Social Welfare Study Program (IKS) at UIN Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta organized a dissemination forum highlighting research and community engagement projects conducted by faculty members and students participating in the Merdeka Belajar Kampus Merdeka (MBKM) program.

The off-campus MBKM activities for the 2023 odd semester included three research projects, six independent projects, and two humanitarian initiatives. Held over two Fridays — Dec. 15 and Dec. 22, 2023 — the dissemination forum brought together institutional leaders and community figures from 10 partner organizations that had hosted the students’ MBKM placements and projects.

Among the invited partners were community leaders from Pondok Hamlet and the Sarimulyo Mosque in Selomartani, Sleman; officials from the Population Control and Family Planning Division of DP3AP2 DIY; representatives of the Muhammadiyah Social Welfare Council (MPKS PWM DIY); social workers from the Child Care and Social Rehabilitation Center under the Yogyakarta Social Affairs Office; mental health social welfare institutions; researchers from BRIN Yogyakarta; leaders of the Muhammadiyah Patient Shelter House; representatives from the Bumi Cendikia Foundation; along with IKS faculty members and 27 students participating in the outbound MBKM program.

During the forum, students — under the guidance of their respective faculty supervisors — presented the outcomes of their semester-long projects and interventions. The presentations included three research articles, an Effective Communication Module for Family Schools at DP3AP2 DIY, Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for AmbulanMu services, a Service Standards Handbook for Muhammadiyah Patient Shelter Houses, flood mitigation SOPs for the Gunung Kidul Social Rehabilitation Center, and five community engagement articles.

Faculty members, institutional leaders, and community representatives provided extensive feedback aimed at improving the quality and applicability of the students’ work. Suggestions included expanding module and SOP materials, simplifying language for public users, incorporating clearer evidence of client transformation before and after intervention, providing more detailed explanations of intervention processes, strengthening qualitative and quantitative data, and refining academic writing standards suitable for journal publication.

Participants also encouraged the IKS Program to hold dedicated coordination meetings with MBKM partner institutions in order to clarify the working system, responsibilities, and expected outputs of future MBKM collaborations.

Overall, partner institutions and local communities expressed appreciation for the tangible impact of the MBKM initiatives. Several student-produced outputs — including the AmbulanMu SOP, the Muhammadiyah Patient Shelter Service Standards Handbook, and the social media platform for the Kepel Mas Social Welfare Institution — have already been adopted and implemented by partner organizations to improve public services, institutional management, and community education efforts.

One particularly notable initiative was a mosque-based “Sedekah Sampah” (charitable waste management) innovation program, which successfully helped address waste management issues in Pondok Hamlet and at Sarimulyo Mosque, while also generating additional financial support for mosque activities.

Some projects, meanwhile, have been incorporated into the long-term agendas of partner institutions. Soleh Anwari, Head of the Population Control and Family Planning Division at DP3AP2 DIY, noted that while the Family School Module developed by students had not yet been implemented due to budget limitations, the institution planned to propose funding for the program in the future.

Meanwhile, a social worker from the Gunung Kidul Rehabilitation Center emphasized that the newly developed flood mitigation SOP would require further staff training to ensure effective disaster response implementation in the future.

Several student community engagement articles produced during the MBKM program are also expected to be published on the official websites of partner institutions.