IPB University’s PKGA and the Bogor Regency DP3AP2KB Strengthen Community Based Family Education
The Center for Gender and Children’s Studies (PKGA) at IPB University, in collaboration with the Bogor Regency Office of Women’s Empowerment, Child Protection, Population Control, and Family Planning (DP3AP2KB), organized the second cohort of the Special Family School (SKI) Program.
The Special Family School is a community-based family education program. This program aims to enhance families’ capacity in areas such as family relationships, household economics, health, parenting, and family mental resilience to foster high quality families and a more prosperous society.
The Chairperson of the PKGA at IPB University, Dr Yulina Eva Riany, the initiator of the Special Family School, stated that the second cohort was implemented in four subdistricts: Babakan Madang, Sukaraja, Ciampea, and Bojong Gede.
She views this program as a form of strategic social investment. “When we talk about regional development, improving the quality of human resources, child protection, and community well-being, it all actually begins with the most fundamental institution the family,” she said.
During the first week, activities were held simultaneously in Sukaraja Subdistrict and Babakan Madang Subdistrict. Dr Yulia emphasized that healthy families are built through positive communication, mutual understanding, and the ability to effectively manage differences and conflicts.
“Parents also need to continually learn to adapt their parenting styles to the changing times so they can create an environment that optimally supports the growth and development of family members,” she added while delivering a presentation attended by 62 participants.
The Chairperson of the DP3AP2KB Office of Bogor Regency, Ir Sussy Rahayu Agustini, MT, also emphasized the importance of mothers’ roles in building high quality families.
“The family is a child’s first school, and mothers play a very significant role in it. Through the Special Family School, we want mothers to become more confident in building healthy, independent, and loving families,” she said.
The Special Family School collaborated with several experts from IPB University, including Dina Nurdinawati, SKPm, MSi, Dr Istiqlaliyah Muflikhati, and Prof Megawati Simanjuntak.
In addition to lectures, participants also took part in various interactive activities, such as role playing exercises on family communication, group discussions, focus group discussions (FGDs) on finance, educational games involving financial cards, quizzes, and participatory learning exercises to ensure the material can be applied in daily life.
“We’re so happy to be able to participate. The material is easy to understand and can be put into practice right away at home, especially when it comes to managing family finances and communicating with children,” said Indah Eka Oktaviani, one of the participants in Babakan Madang.
Through this collaboration, the Special Family School is expected to become a model for sustainable family education, fostering high-quality, harmonious, healthy, and empowered families as the foundation for community development in Bogor Regency. (*/Rz) (IAAS/HNY)
