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Better Understanding for a Better World: Indonesia

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By Siti Sholikha, YES 2011-2012, Indonesia, hosted by World Link in Colorado Springs, CO

My exchange year exposed me to a diverse and intercultural environment. The United States of America is a melting pot of different races, nationalities, religions, beliefs, principles, cultures, and traditions. People in America tend to be more individualistic compared with the more communal tradition of “Gotong Royong” (cooperation by members of a community to achieve a common goal) in Indonesian society. However, being individualistic is not wrong. The idea of mutual understanding and respect of an individual should be shared with more people all around the world. By accepting those who think and behave in a manner different from our own, we can avoid hatred and conflict. Building mutual respect and understanding in a community might take a while; however, if we never start, we will never get a result.

When I joined the Better Understanding for a Better World Conference in Florida in 2012 with more than fifty exchange students from all around the world, I witnessed friends from Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan shaking hands and sitting at the same table. They confessed that this interaction would be unlikely to happen if they were not at this conference. Visiting different places of worship and getting to know the rituals of different religions was new to me. Among the participants, I felt like I found a new, understanding family that I could trust. When I shared how much my parents have to struggle in their daily lives as street vendors, I found the group in tears. 

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After BUBW in Florida, I knew I wanted to create a similar project in my home community. Organizing BUBW Indonesia was one of the biggest challenges in my life. With the help of a 2015 YES alumni grant and a team of 70 alumni and non-alumni volunteers from all over Indonesia, we brought a total of 170 young leaders together to discuss peace, intercultural learning, diversity, leadership, interfaith, and conflict resolution. Our conference was attended by the Indonesia Minister of Education and Cultural Affairs, Mr. Anies Baswedan, and we were overwhelmed with the support we received from AFS-Bina Antarbudaya, Civilization Exchange and Cooperation Foundation (CECF), Universitas Islam Negeri (UIN) Sunan Kalijaga, and several other institutions. Our group visited a mosque, church, Hindu temple, and a Buddhist monastery, followed by an interfaith panel discussion. We also had interactive sessions in which participants made competitive presentations on interfaith topics. 

I’m proud of our success, though I believe that our effort must not stop here. We still have to work to do to make the world better for tomorrow. From this event, we all hope the message of peace and diversity reaches more people and wider communities.

"Peace cannot be kept by force; it can only be achieved by understanding" – Albert Einstein

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