When I grow up, I want to be…
The Launching of Share Your Dreams!
As children we all have dreams. As one child from Sahabat Anak Kota Tua said “My dream is to become a doctor!”
Some children wish to be a doctor when they grow up, others wish to have a fast car, while others wish to have a big family. And even though our dreams may be unrealistic at times, like dreams to become Superman, dreaming is what gives us hope and the ability to imagine the future. All children have dreams, however, some children are never given the opportunity to voice their dreams. In Jakarta, street children face this reality every day. Their dreams to become a doctor is quickly squashed as they realise their parents cannot afford to send them to school, that they must work to help support their families and that even if they did have the money they do not have the right documents to enter school. Sahabat Anak has been working hard since 1997 to help give street children the opportunity to realise their dreams.
This year’s 2012 Sahabat Anak Day (Hari Sahabat Anak) campaign “SHARE YOUR DREAMS!” (Suarakan Impianmu!) had its grand launching on Saturday, 18 February 2012, at Starbucks Wisma BNI 46. This year’s campaign is based on “A child’s right to participate and have an opinion” as stated under the UN Convention on The Rights of the Child, 1989. The day involved 25 children from the newly formed Bimbel (tutorial area) in Kota Tua.
Article 12 (Respect for the views of the child): When adults are making decisions that affect children, children have the right to say what they think should happen and have their opinions taken into account.
The aim of the event was to give children the tools and the opportunity to express their opinions. The children participated in sing-a-longs, a short story competition and a short film competition. Each child was given the opportunity to tell ‘their’ story and produce a short film with their friends. When Yohanes, the MC of the event, asked the children “What are you dreams?”, answers came flying back at him: “I want to go to school,” “I want to live with both my parents,” “I want to feel valued and appreciated”.
Frequently, street children are viewed as naughty criminals who are too lazy to go to school or do something good with their lives. However, these children never chose the life they are living. They cannot help who their parents are, where they live, or how much money they have. They are children! When we give these children a voice and allow them to be heard, we can see that their wishes and desires are the same as any other child.
Throughout the story telling competition there were many tears as children shared with their friends about the hardships they face each day. This is an example of one story shared:
Each day my friends say hurtful things to me. I hope that my friends would not say these things to me again. Because I also feel embarrassed to be so tall. But I am not angry at my friends and I still feel encouraged to study even though I feel hurt.
For the short film competition the same groups were given the task of making a video about their ideal teacher. We used digital cameras and with a little training they were off being movie stars! Each group did an awesome job! Please check out the finalist on YouTube (Unfortunately, they are not yet uploaded – but will be soon!).
The day was a great success and we must say a massive thank you to our friends at Starbucks for hosting the event, AVIVA for sponsoring the event and the Jakarta Globe for always supporting our activities. It is with the support of our friends and donors we are able to help marginalized children have a voice and be heard! At Sahabat Anak we have learnt that when we give these children a helping hand they are able to achieve amazing feats such as topping their classes at school and, despite all odds, entering university.
Guru Funky, Lucu, Suka Nyanyi
Launching HSA 2012 “Suarakan Impianmu!”:
Saripah pernah dikata-katain sama temen-temen, Saripah berharap temen-temen tidak mengatai Saripah lagi. Karena Saripah (jadi) malu punya badan tinggi seperti ini. Tapi Saripah tetep semangat meskipun dikatain dan tidak marah sama temen-temen.
Mungkin jarang terpikir oleh guru atau kakak pengajar bahwa adik/murid yang mereka ajar punya cerita “terpendam” seperti di atas. Nyatanya, itulah yang dirasakan adik Saripah, pemenang games story telling dalam acara launching kampanye “Suarakan Impianmu!”. Sabtu pagi, 18 Februari 2012 kemarin, sekitar 23 adik dari Sahabat Anak Kota Tua berpartisipasi dalam acara pembukaan kampanye Hari Sahabat Anak 2012. Di sesi “Kisahku” adik-adik diminta bercerita mengenai pengalaman unik mereka baik yang menggembirakan, menyedihkan, intinya yang berkesan.
Ini menggambarkan bahwa anak-anak ini, walaupun hari-harinya mengamen dan mengemis, tidak jauh beda dengan anak “normal” lainnya. Mereka ingin sekolah, ingin tinggal dengan orang tua yang lengkap, ingin dihargai bagaimanapun fisik mereka, dan ingin lebih lama mengikuti acara yang diselenggarakan Sahabat Anak, seperti Jambore. “Kalau bisa Jamborenya seminggu Kak, biar kita lama nggak di jalan.” Wow, suara polos yang dijeritkan hari itu mewakili impian-impian mereka selama ini.
Berbagai kisah mulai dari yang mengurai air mata (baik bagi anak yang bercerita hingga adik-adik yang mendengarkan) seperti: minder karena ejekan teman, ketidakinginan hidup terpisah dengan ayah karena harus ikut ibu berjualan kopi di Jakarta, kesedihan karena putus sekolah dan cita-cita menjadi dokter hilang, hingga cerita yang menyemangati seperti kesenangan dan rasa terima kasih kepada kakak pengajar setiap kali jam Bimbel (Bimbingan Belajar) tiba termasuk acara pagi itu, mampu memukau semua yang hadir.
Tidak berhenti di situ, kampanye “Suarakan Impianmu!” juga mengajak adik-adik untuk menyuarakan pendapat tentang guru/kakak pengajar ideal mereka. Mereka pun diajak untuk mulai melek teknologi dengan menggunakan kamera video sebagai media untuk mengemukakan pendapat di sesi “Lihat Klipku“. Di sini masing-masing adik memiliki peran, ada yang jadi guru, murid, sutradara dan cameraman, dibantu oleh para kakak voluntir yang mengawasi. Saat video tiap kelompok diputar, semua fokus menonton diiringi tertawa geli karena melihat diri mereka sendiri di layar besar. Dari video-video tersebut diketahui adik-adik Kota Tua ingin sosok guru yang baik, ‘funky’, lucu dan suka menyanyi. Hal yang sederhana tapi untuk mereka sisi kegembiraan dan keceriaan dari seorang guru ternyata mempengaruhi.
Kampanye tahun ini Sahabat Anak kembali didukung oleh PT. Asuransi AVIVA Indonesia yang memiliki kepedulian terhadap anak jalanan dan marjinal. Acara launching Sabtu lalu sekaligus Konferensi Pers HSA 2012 merupakan kerjasama Sahabat Anak dengan program Community Involvement Starbucks Indonesia. Terima kasih juga kepada setiap voluntir yang berpartisipasi baik sebagai MC, kibordis, pendamping dan pengajar di Kota Tua. Dengan ini dimulailah kampanye menggaungkan hak anak untuk berpartisipasi dalam mengemukakan pendapat. Sahabat Anak mengajak semua lapisan masyarakat untuk mulai menyadari berharganya suara anak dan melakukan sesuatu di tengah ramainya suara orang dewasa di sekitar mereka. Mari mulai dari lingkungan di sekitar kita dan katakan “Suarakan impianmu!”
Hari Sahabat Anak 2012: Suarakan Impianmu!
Anak dalam UU No. 23 tahun 2002 Pasal 1 adalah warga negara Indonesia yang belum berusia 18 tahun, termasuk anak yang masih dalam kandungan. Anak merupakan amanah dan karunia dari Tuhan yang harus dilindungi, titipan berharga bagi orang tua, bangsa dan negara, serta potensi kekayaan dan kesejahteraan bangsa kini dan di hari nanti. Read the rest of this entry
Sahabat Anak Day 2012 – “SHARE YOUR DREAMS!”
A child is defined under the Indonesian Law, UU No. 23 2002 Chapter 1, as a citizen of Indonesia under the age of 18 and it also includes a child in the mother’s womb. A child is a gift and blessing from God who needs to be protected, valued by their parents, country and nation and who will also be the future leaders of this nation. Read the rest of this entry
Anak-Anak = 37% Populasi Indonesia
Kenapa Sahabat Anak tanpa lelah terus mendengungkan kampanye pemenuhan hak-hak anak Indonesia, terutama kanak-kanak marjinal? Setiap tahun melalui Jambore Sahabat Anak dalam rangka Hari Anak Nasional 23 Juli dan Hari Sahabat Anak yang sejak digelar perdana 2008, kami terus membuat program inovatif (Sepatu, Nutrisi, Bermain) serta program lain yang selalu bersinggungan dengan kebutuhan anak. Read the rest of this entry
Bersepeda Bersama Sahabatku
Minggu, 29 Januari 2012
05.30
Good morning! Udara yang dingin menyambutku di Minggu pagi, tapi aku justru merasa bersemangat dan berapi-api. Dengan semangat aku berangkat menuju Hotel Mandarin Oriental di daerah bundaran Hotel Indonesia. Semangat karena hari ini adalah hari yang dinanti oleh adik-adik Sahabat Anak Kota Tua, yaitu acara Fun Bike bersama Hotel Mandarin Oriental. Sebenarnya bukan hanya adik-adiknya saja yang bersemangat, aku pun juga begitu karena sudah lama tidak bersepeda.
Rachael Fulton Is Flying The Flag High For Sahabat Anak
The Mandarin Fun Bike Weekend
Every second Sunday in Jakarta is Car Free Sunday. Many individuals, companies and organisations make the most of car free Sundays and head out in groups with friends and colleagues to ride their bikes, jog, walk and take in the slightly fresher air on Jalan Surdirman. It is quite a sight to behold, millions of bicycles all twinkling their bells! I feel like I have been transported back to an era before motorised vehicles existed, until I see the i-Pods pumping music into the ears of the cyclists.
On Sunday 29 January 2012, The Mandarin Oriental held their “Fun Bike Weekend” event. Over 100 guests and employees from the Mandarin with 11 Children and 9 volunteers from Sahabat Anak donned a red t-shirt and jumped on a bicycle. Some of the children from Sahabat Anak were a little small for the bikes, but they were able to hitch a ride with the older volunteers.
