Chillin’ in the Chairs

Bintang Tamu: Ibu C. Cahayaningsih, M. Pd, Kepala Sekolah SMPN 3 Pakem, Sleman, Yogyakarta.

Panggilan sehari-hari beliau adalah Ibu Cahaya. Sejak duduk di bangku kuliah hingga menjadi pengajar di Sekolah Negeri, beliau dikenal sebagai “penggerak literasi”. Kiprahnya tersebut semakin dipercayakan setelah memimpin sebuah SMPN favorit di wilayah Pakem, Sleman, Yogyakarta.

Sejak tahun lalu, beliau menjadi Kepala Sekolah di SMPN 3, Sleman (mulai 14 September 2021) dan bercita-cita mengangkat program literasi dengan mengembangkan perpustakaan dan membuat inisiatif “siswa/i suka membaca”.

Untuk tujuan tersebut, Ia memulai dengan beberapa langkah, diantaranya memperbaiki fasilitas sekolah dengan “me-remaja-kan” perpustakaan dan koleksinya bukunya, menyiapkan “ruang membaca”, mengadakan “pojok membaca” di dalam kelas, menghias dinding sekolah dengan ucapan yang menceritakan manfaat baca “Baca membuka jendela dunia”, mengadakan waktu tenang sehari-hari (15 menit awal sekolah) untuk membaca, dan merencanakan bersama guru dan siswa/i untuk mengadakan acara literasi di sekolah.

Dengan upaya seperti ini, Ibu Cahaya berharap kegiatan menulis-membaca akan menjadi kebiasaan sehari-hari dalam pembelajaran budaya di sekolah. Dan tentu kalau anak kita–dan masyarakat kita–suka membaca,  mereka akan memperoleh ilmu, pengetahuan, dan inspirasi yang bisa membawa dampak pada hidupnya.

Tak sebatas itu, Ibu Cahaya juga menggarisbawahi pentingnya peran orang tua dalam meningkatkan kemampuan literasi. Waktu tenang, ketersediaan buku, kebiasaan membaca di rumah, memberikan hadiah berupa buku, menyediakan buku-buku bacaan di rumah, ini semua akan mendukung budaya literasi di rumah dan di masyakarat.

Ibu Cahaya meyakini bahwa melalui “kelompok siswa/i suka membaca”, maka suara dari teman sebaya–anak kepada anak, remaja kepada remaja–mempunyai pengaruh yang besar.

Bergabung dengan Ibu Cahaya dan teman-teman: Hidupkan Gerakan Literasi!

Bintang Tamu: Sriara Nurningsih Hermoza (Ara), kelas 8, dan Almiera Khayrazeeva (Eeva), kelas 7, dari SMPN 3 Pakem, Sleman, Yogyakarta.

Dua remaja dengan suara dan wajah yang sangat cerah bercerita bagaimana dan kenapa “suka membaca”. Ternyata dari lingkungan rumah di masa kecilnya, mereka sudah mulai “senang membaca” bersama orang tua lewat buku bergambar yang berwarna-warni. Kebiasaan tersebut berkembang hingga masa remaja mereka, yang saat ini berada di bangku SMP. Mereka berdua senang membaca novel, buku cerita dengan bab yang banyak, serta buku dengan ratusan halaman.

Kegemaran membaca ini ternyata membangkitkan kegemaran menulis, terutama lewat buku harian dan pengalaman. Kata Ara, “Siapa tahu beberapa tahun lagi saya ingin mengingat kembali pengalaman sehari-hari di masa SMP. Ataupun kalau saya sudah berkeluarga, anak saya akan tanya tentang masa remaja Ibunya. Atau siapa tahu saya bisa mengarang buku cerita sendiri?”

Mereka berdua mengakui bahwa keberadaan gawai seolah-olah menggeser minat untuk membaca, apalagi pada teman-teman yang belum “suka membaca buku.” Dan walaupun ada “e-book” atau “film” dimana naskahnya diadaptasi dari buku, tak ada yang lebih asyik dari pada mencari waktu tenang, santai dan membaca sebuah buku sendiri. Mereka merasa beruntung keluarga dan lingkungan sekolah mendukung akses pada buku.

Semoga inspirasi dan cerita dua remaja ini bisa jadi inspirasi sekaligus panutan bagi remaja yang lain.

Mari kita mulai suka membaca dan siap membuka jendela dunia!

“Making IT work for us, not divide us”

Special guests: Tasha and Damar (ages 13) of high-tech savvy Gen Z and Fransiskus Wicakso, Guru SMA Olifant High School

In 2020, gadgets have become an even more central part of our lives. Not only for communication, but also Google searches for information, news, entertainment, sosmed friendships, and most recently also on-line schooling. While we acknowledge the many benefits, there are challenges and even negative consequences. IF we let the technology be in the driver’s seat. It is time for us to better understand those risks, and to take the steering wheel. “Manusia semestinya menguasai teknologi, bukan malah sebaliknya.”

Join us for an honest, open inter-generational dialogue about the benefits and challenges of managing this technology in our lives. Listen to our teenage friends talk about their online world of friendship, gaming, schooling and advice for our families. “Ngomongnya tolong lebih santai, jangan selalu marahin kita.” For it is not just a teenage problem: adults also have issues of overuse, fake news, superficial social interactions, and allowing the gadgets to polarize our families, friends, and communities.

Don’t let it divide us. Let’s work together to find solutions. It starts with listening to each other.

Special guest: Tegar Satya Putra, Lecturer in Business, Universitas Atma Jaya Yogyakarta.

Claiming identity, sharing privilege, building dignity. Join us today for an honest conversation to name and claim the different parts of our identity, some of which buy us privilege and some of which land us discrimination.

Everyone deals with the balance and experience of discrimination and privilege but it is not the same for everybody. Some people experience multi-layers of discrimination – social, religious, race, economic - and others have multi-layers of privilege. And we make choices about how we claim – or hide – our identity to navigate this challenge.

We all lose out when we allow these biases to dictate and determine what our society looks like. Socially, culturally, and even economically. Builds instability, injustice, division, and mediocrity.

We can be better than this. We can be better together.

Hope for 2021, says Tegar, “Memanusiakan manusia.” To treat others more humanely.

Hope for 2021, says Sarah, “Do daily, simple acts that undo discrimination and share privilege with others. It matters.”

Join us!

Our Guest today is Marsa Harisa, medical doctor.

When you ask the question, “What’s the most important thing in life?” More often than not, people will often say “Health!” Kesehatan nomor satu. Sehat jasmani, rohani, sosial, mental dan emosi. Over time, all in balance.

Always has been. The pandemic has raised everyone’s awareness about the importance of health. Yours and mine. A pandemic means we’re in this together. Community health. Global health.

Our guest today is a young doctor, who has always worked to promote HEALTH LITERACY. That means EVERYONE – doctors, patients, caretakers – understands how to stay healthy and what to do when we’re sick.  Says Marsa, “Health is a long-term issue. The lifestyle changes we have to make today will help us get through this pandemic. We know what we need to do. We just need to do it.”

Join us for straight talk about opening schools, public venues, wearing masks, vaccinations, family gatherings and more.

HEALTH FOR ALL!

Our special guest today is Santi Budiman

Why is being a multicultural person important? In our modern world, we interact with people who are different from us. And we need to learn how to be with them as friends, colleagues, families, and in community. And we need them to be with us. Know and appreciate us for who we really are.

Culturally resilient individuals value and appreciate diversity. In themselves and others. A balance of self-respect and respect for others.  But it is not an easy path. Join us as we share stories of growing up, starting families, and as parents. Getting through moments of confusion, isolation, loneliness and being judged unfairly, to a world full of colors, ideas and cultures.

Says Santi, “ Everyone must be a minority sometime in their life.”

Says Sarah, “Buka mata, buka pikiran, buka hati – open your eyes, your mind, your heart.”

Join us!

Our special guest on this episode is Cassandra, age 16.

Join a mother-daughter honest talk about creating and building a positive and healthy body image. Media and adverts, peer pressure, sosmed instagram posts, fashion, family expectations all challenge us to reach deep inside – and surround ourselves with positive influences and messages. This is a challenge for all of us – women and men, young and old – to embrace and celebrate ourselves and appreciate each other for who we really are. Listen in for some daily tips and practices how to BE YOU BEST SELF – and support OTHERS to BE THEIR BEST SELVES - and BELIEVE IT from the inside out.

Our special guest today is Natasha, 12 years old.

“I know you know I’m doing my best. But if the help you’re offering isn’t helpful, then it’s not really helping."

Sarah is trying to help Natasha, her daughter also our guest on this episode, with her on-line learning. Berbagai kesulitan dalam pembelajaran daring yang dialami Natasha membutuhkan pengertian dari orang-orang terdekatnya. Mari dengarkan cerita dan obrolan mereka dalam episode pertama ini!

Sarah will host this bilingual, antar-multi-budaya, Asia/Timur-US/Barat-global forum with a special guest. Guest and host will have heart-to-heart talks about raising children-tweens-teens, body image and health, on-line or at-home education, sustainable eco-life, gadgets everywhere, friendship and dating, marriage, balancing work and family, living a creative life, making the world a better place… for you, for me, for others.

Host dan guest bukanlah “expert” atau “ahli”,  tetapi akan membagikan pengalaman hidup sehari-hari… learning from mistakes, celebrating what works… dan tentu membagikan tips  yang praktis dan nyata. Pull up a chair! Santap makanan dan minuman favoritmu, bersantai di kursi  dan mari ikuti obrolan kami. Good for your language, listening, and cultural thinking.  Semoga bermanfaat, semoga senang.