Creative Space is one of the work programs of group 34 FISIP-FIB Berbakti Desa Universitas Brawijaya (FBD UB) which was successfully implemented in early August.
This work program, which is the result of collaboration with the PKK Sitiarjo Village, is a continuation of two other work programs, namely Waste Hazards Socialization and Waste Bank. Previously, at the routine PKK meeting, group 34 had collaborated with the PKK Sitiarjo Village to provide materials on the sidelines of the event. This was utilized well by group 34 to conduct Waste Hazards Socialization and introduce two follow-up work programs, namely Waste Bank and Creative Space.
In the Waste Bank work program, group 34 tries to empower the community to collect plastic waste that is not reused. After succeeding with the Waste Bank work program, group 34 implemented its follow-up work program, namely Creative Space.
In this creative space, FBD UB tries to facilitate the women of Sitiarjo Village to learn how to make crafts from plastic waste into items that can be reused.
Not much different from the previous work program, namely the Socialization of Waste Hazards, the Creative Space is also carried out at the routine PKK meeting. The PKK administrators are very open to giving group 34 the opportunity to refill and carry out the creative space program.
In this activity, there are three categories of crafts made, namely tissue boxes made from bottle caps, hair accessories made from plastic bottles, and lanterns made from plastic cups. The participants are divided into 3 large groups that will make 3 different craft categories.
The 3 large groups are divided again into 5 small groups with a total of 15 small groups. Each small group will be accompanied by 1 mentor from group 34 FBD UB and each small group will later be assessed according to the category of crafts made.
The activity carried out at the beginning of the month of independence was greeted with high enthusiasm by the participants who attended. They enthusiastically followed the directions and carried out the activities well. This activity was also considered very positive and useful by the participants. They felt that this activity had increased their insight and new knowledge, especially in waste management. Where instead of being thrown away or burned, the waste can actually be created into more valuable items.
“Yes, because usually it is never collected and sold directly, so now it can be managed better,” said Mujiasih, one of the residents.
On the other hand, this activity can introduce new programs and skills, such as making lanterns and tissue holders from recycled materials, which do not yet exist in the village. This activity not only improves the skills of participants but also opens up opportunities to increase income and develop micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) by converting used goods into useful craft products.
“Today is a new skills training, which means they have skills such as making lanterns, making tissue holders, which have not existed before. Then, from recycling waste that is usually just thrown away, it turns out to be very useful if it is created in such a way as a lantern. But the results are also good, even though it is just a bottle for mineral water that has no value. “Then, the bottle caps that have no value are then made into crafts, which in the future could potentially increase income for all of us in the PKK programs,” said Erna Yunita, the local village PKK administrator. [UB PR/ Trans. Iir]
