Targeting the Resolution of Employment Issues, How Young People in Siak Collaborate on the Running of Regional Elections
How the youth and local community support Siak’s role as a pioneer of Sustainable Districts in Indonesia cannot be underestimated. Generasi Lestari (Genles), part of the partnership & communication framework of LTKL, comprises young individuals aged 17-35 from the region including students, young professionals, and community groups.
Genles plays four strategic roles which are acting as curator, incubator, and accelerator of potential young leaders in the area; connector and facilitator of communal efforts to explore regional potential and reimagine relevant local wisdom for innovative ideas, problem-solving, and sustainable economic development.
Genles also develops, enhances capacities, and provides skilled young talent with sustainability insights within the region. Lastly, it aids in channeling curated young talent as per regional needs to achieve the Sustainable Economic Vision 2030 in the district.
This time, Genles collaborates with Think Policy and Bijak Memilih, alongside representatives from Siak’s youth community, including Skelas and Explore Siak.
This initiative stems from the upcoming simultaneous elections in 2024 that will be held in November 2024. All development plans will be encapsulated in the Regional Long-Term Development Plan (RPJPD). To gather the aspirations and voices of Siak’s youth, this collaboration conducts campaign activities encompassing three key phases: digital campaigns via social media to showcase the potential of Siak’s youth, basic political education for the youth, and highlighting critical issues in Siak.
The process then continues with Youth Discussion Forums, bringing together young people from Siak to discuss issues, solutions, and aspirations. On November 18, 2023, an FGD in the form of a talk show took place. Key speakers included Budhi Yuwono, Head of the Regional Planning Agency (Bappeda); Zulfadli Nugraha, Chairman of the Election Supervisory Board (BAWASLU); Berlian Littaqwa, Member of Siak’s General Election Commission (KPU) Division of Voter Education, Community Participation, and Human Resources. Also present were Wulan Suci Ningrum, Head of R&D Division at PT. Alam Siak Lestari; and Efraim Leonard, Community Lead of Wise Voting.
During the talk show, the speakers provided insights regarding their daily professional fields. From this session, the youth involved in the Genles, Think Policy, and Bijak Memilih could map out the roles of each speaker in the upcoming Siak local election process.
One of the issues discussed during the talk show was “Local Wisdom Issues with Local Commodities.” Wulan, one of the participants, explained the connection between job opportunities and local commodities in Siak, as well as the availability of RPJP documents addressing employment issues.
“We need to identify local commodities that can be utilized and uncover current obstacles. Young people can now create products but is still struggling with marketing,” explained Wulan.
After mapping these issues, Wulan found solutions through training programs provided by the regional government. Thus, integrating training into the RPJP document is crucial to addressing employment issues.
The risk of fraud during the election process is also a concern for the youth. his collaboration also aims to serve as a community assistance group to oversee the local elections, including holding regular discussions with Bawaslu.
At the end of the talk show, Budhi Yuwono, Head of Bappeda, pledged to collaborate on enviromental sustainability with the attending youth. One approach is through innovating new downstream products.
“Toward ideas and aspirations from the youth, we are ready to collaborate. Strategic issues, youth education, job opportunities that we will change with accordingly to sustainable development,” explained Budhi.
Previously, the collaboration of these youth held a Brainstorming Idea for Siak Youth Recommendations for RPJPD, that was conducted in July 2023. One point was for Siak’s youth to advocate their interests during the election by creating a pact of integrity between youth and regional candidates.
Moreover, young people must advocate to the local Election Commission to include their interests in the list of questions for the candidates. Thus, their aspirations/recommendations/interests can be incorporated into Siak’s RPJPD. Hence, the talk show was conducted with the direct participation of these authorized speakers.
