In order to strengthen cultural relations and provide educational motivation to the indigenous people of the Suku Anak Dalam (SAD) tribe, PARTNERSHIP together with Pundi Sumatra and Muhammadiyah University of Jambi held a Cross Visit activity which coincided with the sixth campus Graduation ceremony at the Abadi Suite Hotel & Tower Jambi on Monday, December 23, 2024.
This activity brought parents and SAD cadres from Bungo Regency to witness firsthand the historic moment of Juliana's graduation, the first SAD woman to successfully earn a bachelor's degree from the Forestry Study Program, Faculty of Science and Technology, Muhammadiyah University of Jambi.
"We were all touched to see this graduation ceremony, especially since my daughter Juli managed to stand in front with her diploma," said Samsu, Juliana's parent.
Samsu also said that even though Juliana is already in college, he still hopes that Juliana can get many other opportunities to develop herself and find the dreams she wants.
In addition to attending the graduation, Cross Visit also became a place for cultural exchange between the general public and the Suku Anak Dalam community. Participants who attended had the opportunity to watch a documentary video of Juliana's struggle in college. The video, produced by the public relations of the University of Muhammadiyah Jambi, succeeded in making the audience's eyes water. Juliana's Struggle In this lecture, Juliana and her father told the story themselves through a video that lasted approximately ten minutes.
The video is a hard slap in the face for city dwellers who have easy access to education but waste the opportunity.
"With this video we can see a child from the jungle who has limitations in terms of costs, and customs that education is something expensive for them. Then this becomes an encouragement for families who have privilege, that there is no reason not to go to school," said Ulvi as a community companion.
Dewi Yunita as CEO of Pundi Sumatra emphasized the importance of activities like this to instill values and provide direct examples to SAD parents about educational values.
"The Cross Visit activity is not only a place for cultural exchange, but also provides hope to SAD children that they are able to go further, even to college, as long as they have the intention and support from their families," he said.
The Chancellor of Muhammadiyah University of Jambi in his Press Conference emphasized that education is a bridge to a better future, especially for indigenous community.
The event also featured several cultural performances for the graduates in the hope of further broadening their knowledge about the customs and cultures of the local indigenous people. There were dance performances, silat performances, musical performances by students, and SAD singing performances performed directly by Juliana's family.
This performance of the chanting was also performed at the Jambi Traditional Festival on Sunday, December 22. The event, which was attended by the Expert Staff of the Governor of Jambi for Government, Law, and Politics, gave direct appreciation to Juliana and the indigenous people of the Suku Anak Dalam who dared to appear at the public event. In the future, Pundi Sumatra with the support of KEMITRAAN through the Estungkara program will encourage the involvement of local governments in holding other cultural activities.
