Atma Jaya Catholic University of Indonesia (AJCUI) once again held the Social Entrepreneurship Marketplace (SE Marketplace) 2019 on 24th-25th October at Jakarta. This year was the third SE Marketplace organized through the collaboration among students, lecturers, and communities to help solve social issues.
One of the distinctive programs in this year’s SE Marketplace was the development of Indonesian endemic main food ingredients, which was initiated by the Research Center of Indonesian Spices. They focus on food processing from Indonesian traditional staple food. One type of spices they have developed is andaliman, a variety of Bataknese spices that are used to produce tea.
Another program initiated by AJCUI students collaborating with students from Bina Nusantara University was My Farm. This program focuses on hydroponic plant business through reforestation. This program can also be the solution to shorten the distribution period by increasing vegetable stocks produced in cities. My Farm is one of three student-initiated programs that received Hackaton Grant from the Goethe Institute with a total amount of USD 10,000. The other two programs are Rumah Mentawai and Tumbas Sayur.
SE Marketplace is a platform for students to present their creative ideas in creating new products or services as solutions for social problems. This event is also one of AJCUI’s efforts as an academic institution to give contribution to social issues.
“As an academic institution, AJCUI participates in solving social issues in Indonesia. Therefore, we enthusiastically hold SE Marketplace annually by bringing the values from SDGs, which consists of Innovate, Interact and Influence,” said the Vice-Rector IV Field of Collaboration, Research, and Development of AJCUI, Elisabeth Rukmini, Ph. D. on Tuesday (22th Oct.).
This event was attended by students, lecturers, and communities who hold the value of social entrepreneurs. One of the results of the event was the SILVER program. It stands for Self-improvement Lesson, Vocational Education for Refugees. This program itself is an effort to guide and train refugees to socialize with local people. It also equips refugees with entrepreneur skills. This program is supported by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the International Labour Organization (ILO).
This event is one of AJCUI’s distinctive strengths, and it has received the honor of full five stars for the category of social responsibility from the QS Star. Aside from SE Marketplace, AJCUI is also actively involved in social activities such as helping disaster victims.