The Baris Asa team shared their stories and experiences during community service activities. “This is one of the extraordinary experiences we felt, we learned a lot through community service at PPS PGOT Mardi Utomo Semarang” said Ayu Ratri as the head of the Baris Asa Team.
Community service carried out by the Baris Asa Team is carried out at PPS PGOT Mardi Utomo Semarang which runs regularly for one month. In conducting community service, the PKM-PM Baris Asa Team, chaired by Ayu Ratri Prihandini and consisting of Sandya Sarira Ayu, Nur Fitriana Almaira, Shelma Rania, and Meidita Ananda, where all five are students from the Psychology study program at Universitas Negeri Semarang and accompanied by Yogi Swaraswati, S.Psi., M.Si. as a companion lecturer in conducting routine programs for one month. The source of funding for community service activities carried out by the Baris Asa Team comes from Belmawa funds in the PKM-PM series (Student Creativity Program –
Community Service). Of course, this community service activity involves social workers of PPS PGOT Mardi Utomo Semarang so that it is hoped that the program can run sustainably and the formation of the Baris Asa community will continue to exist in accommodating a series of activities for residents at PPS PGOT Mardi Utomo Semarang.
The Baris Asa PKM-PM activity at PPS PGOT Mardi Utomo Semarang targets adolescent beneficiaries as activity participants. The focus in this activity is on increasing self acceptance as a prevention of toxic relationships among adolescents. This activity utilizes the ABCD method: “Asset Based Community Development”, a method that utilizes the potential of a community and is considered capable of increasing the empowerment of the community.
Various approaches were taken by the Baris Asa Team to teenage beneficiaries at the PGOT Mardi Utomo Semarang social service institution in order to establish a closer relationship, realize the vision and mission of the community, namely increasing self-acceptance and training the independence of the beneficiaries.
“In this orphanage, there is no one who can intensely pay attention to the psychological conditions of the fostered residents in the orphanage,” said Sukis, one of the social workers at PPS PGOT Mardi Utomo Semarang. This makes the presence of this program a good effort in realizing an increase in psychological awareness, especially in the aspect of self- acceptance of adolescent beneficiaries in the orphanage.
Apart from that, community service activities carried out by the Baris Asa Team are filled with various activities that become positive drivers to increase self-acceptance in adolescents at PPS PGOT Mardi Utomo. These activities are including providing knowledge about the importance of self-acceptance, how to take care of yourself from harmful or toxic relationships combined with various techniques as learning methods such as butterfly hugs, journaling, painting, to relaxing yoga. The various activities were warmly welcomed and received great enthusiasm from the beneficiaries. Therefore, the activities ran smoothly until the end and the benefits could be felt by the teenage beneficiaries at PPS PGOT Mardi Utomo Semarang. It is hoped that after this, the beneficiaries can use the knowledge and skills they have as a driving force and motivation to live independently and enthusiastically in society.
