Nagrak Village, Sumedang, Thursday, June 13, 2024 – In order to encourage village independence and improve community prosperity, Widyatama University, under the direction of LLDIKTI 4, held a community service event with the theme “Innovative Strategies in Enhancing Village Potential and Community Motivation.” The event featured two expert speakers, Prof. Dr. H. Maman Suratman, M.Si., a professor at Widyatama University, and Hari Supriyadi, ST., M.Kom., a lecturer in engineering at Widyatama University. The event was held at the Nagrak Village Office and was attended by village officials, community leaders, villagers, and students from Widyatama University.
The Head of Nagrak Village, Erin Kunfana, opened the event with an enthusiastic speech. He emphasized the importance of cooperation between all parties to achieve the goal of an independent village. “We hope this event can provide inspiration and new knowledge for the community to optimize the potential that exists in our village,” said Erin.
INNOVATIVE STRATEGIES FROM VILLAGE DEVELOPMENT EXPERT
Prof. Dr. H. Maman Suratman, M.Si., in his presentation, highlighted the importance of innovation in every aspect of village development.
“Villages have a variety of potentials that are often not optimally explored. Innovation does not always have to be based on advanced technology, but rather on the creative and effective use of local resources,” he said.
He provided various examples of successful utilization of unutilized land, development of local products with added value, and the use of digital media for marketing village products.
Prof. Maman also emphasized the importance of continuing education and training for villagers.
“Human resource capacity building in villages is very important so that they are able to innovate and compete. Skills training and vocational education programs are key to improving the quality of human resources in villages,” he added.
RESIDENT MOTIVATION AS THE MAIN PILLAR
Hari Supriyadi, S.T., M.Kom., in the next session, discussed motivation and synergy among residents as key elements in the success of village development programs.
“Motivation is the main energy in every development effort. Without strong motivation from residents, the programs we design will not run optimally,” said Hari.
He emphasized the importance of active community involvement in every stage of village development.
“Active community participation creates a sense of ownership and responsibility for the village’s progress. This participatory approach also opens up opportunities for innovative ideas from community members that may not have been thought of by planners,” he said.
Hari also encouraged residents to continue learning and adapting to change and to take advantage of the strengths of Nagrak Village.
“In this era of change, villagers must be prepared to continue learning, adapting, and taking initiative, and to remain united for positive change,” he said, giving real examples from other villages that have successfully implemented innovative strategies.
This was followed by an interactive question and answer session, where villagers enthusiastically asked questions and discussed directly with the two speakers. Many ideas and suggestions emerged from this discussion, giving new hope for the future development of Nagrak Village.
The event concluded with the introduction and launching of Nagrak Village’s original product, Virgin Coconut Oil (VCO), a collaboration between students from Widyatama University, Pertiwi University, Bekasi, and Jejen Jaenudin, an entrepreneur involved in palm oil processing.
LOENYOE (Virgin Coconut Oil) A collaborative product by UTama students, Pertiwi University students, and Nagrak villagers
Nella Ananda Kirani (UTama Bachelor of Management), representing her colleagues, said, “For the past four months, we have been in Nagrak Village with enthusiasm and determination to begin our service with a vision of building a more advanced and prosperous village based on five key performance indicators, namely:
1. Zero New Stunting
2. OVOP (One Village One Product) and OVOI (One Village One Innovation)
3. PUSKESOS
4. Extreme Poverty
5. Financial literacy
“These four months in Nagrak village have been an extraordinary experience for us. We have learned about the culture and traditions of Nagrak village and have established close relationships with the community. We are grateful for the opportunity to serve in Nagrak village and hope that the programs we have implemented will benefit the residents of Nagrak village,” added Nella.
With renewed enthusiasm and innovative strategies, Nagrak Village is expected to become a successful example of a village that has succeeded in optimizing its local potential and improving the welfare of its residents.
