UNAIR NEWS – As part of its commitment to the Tri Dharma of Higher Education, Universitas Airlangga (UNAIR) has once again sent students off for the Community Service and Learning Program (KKN-BBK). For this fifth edition of KKN-BBK, one of the service locations is Banyuwangi Regency.
UNAIR has placed 440 students to 44 villages and urban areas in Banyuwangi. The UNAIR students arrived in Banyuwangi on Tuesday (January 7, 2024) and were warmly welcomed by the Banyuwangi Government at the Banyuwangi Regency Hall.
Present to deliver remarks were the Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences, Medicine, and Natural Sciences (FIKKIA) UNAIR, Prof. Dr. Soetojo dr SpU, and the Vice Regent of Banyuwangi, H. Sugirah SPd MSi. Representing UNAIR, Prof. Soetojo urged students to apply their knowledge to help the community. “KKN is part of student education. The knowledge gained in the classroom should be used to benefit society,” he said.
Encouraging student innovation
Meanwhile, in his speech, Vice Regent Sugirah expressed his appreciation to the students for choosing Banyuwangi as their place of service during the KKN-BBK program. He also hoped that the students could contribute to the development of Banyuwangi through various innovations.
“Banyuwangi has a lot of potential, but also faces numerous challenges. With the presence of these young people from UNAIR, I hope they will provide a boost to innovation in Banyuwangi,” he said.
As Vice Regent of Banyuwangi, Sugirah also advised students not to hesitate to ask for assistance from local district and village authorities. “Do not hesitate in reaching out to the district office, you should blend in to offer new innovations according to their respective fields. Without engaging with the community, new innovations cannot be created,” he emphasized.
Sugirah hopes that students will leave behind creative innovations in the areas where they are serving. “I expect that during their time in Banyuwangi, in each of the five sub-districts, they will leave a legacy of new innovations driven by the energy of the younger generation. This is what we hope for the youth in the next 10 to 20 years.”
Finally, Sugirah also expressed confidence that the innovation and creativity of the younger generation are key to realizing Indonesia’s vision for 2045. “The drive and innovations initiated by students will be the benchmark for achieving Indonesia’s golden vision by 2045. You, the younger generation, must create new ideas and innovations to bring about Indonesia’s golden future in 2045.”
In this fifth KKN-BBK program, UNAIR is also collaborating with the Banyuwangi Regency Government to promote a flagship program focusing on waste management, called the Banyuwangi Hijau (Green Banyuwangi) Program. This program is being implemented across all 44 groups involved in the KKN-BBK 5 Banyuwangi initiative.
Author: Edwin Fatahuddin
