Challenge
As with many disaster areas, Aceh in Indonesia has undergone massive upheaval of its infrastructure and society. Many Acehnese have suffered huge personal loss and trauma as a result of the tsunami and decades of social conflict.
165,000 people died in Aceh province because of the tsunami. As part of the relief effort, LEAD Indonesia and LEAD Fellows recognised the need for more responsible representation from communities to influence the decision-making processes for redevelopment. The Bridging Leadership Project (BLP) aims to identify 90 emerging young leaders and develop their leadership through an innovative learning programme working at the grassroots level to embed sustainability in the development of Aceh's future.
The project is generously supported by the Big Lottery Fund, UK.
Action
This project seeks to build the capacity of local young leaders to ensure that future development processes will be in the hands of responsible, democratically minded and environmentally conscious leaders. Through capacity building and training with emerging local leaders and young people from tsunami-hit communities, the Bridging Leadership Project aims to increase the participation of women, build confidence and skills of young leaders, establish a network of community leaders, establish community resource centres and embed sustainable development in any redevelopment activities.
A team of experts in facilitation, group dynamics, gender issues, sustainability and trauma counselling deliver training. Many of our experts are LEAD Fellows. Gender issues are given a strong focus throughout the training. The programme focuses on motivating young people, promoting a culture of sustainable behaviours and they are encouraged to become 'champions' for sustainable development in their communities.
Participants in the Bridging Leadership Project are carefully selected from applicants throughout the three tsunami-hit districts of the project region. They all demonstrate energy, enthusiasm and potential as future leaders in Aceh.
Impact
To date the programme has trained 74 young leaders, 54 of whom are women. BLP alumni members have become respected sustainable development resource people in their communities and organisations. They promote sustainable development principles in their work and through their organisation's activities. Alumni have facilitated the implementation of sustainable development initiatives in their communities such as home and community waste management, production and consumption of healthy food and promoting a healthy lifestyle.
A positive outcome of the BLP project has been its impact on the women in the communities. BLP has provided a platform for women to be active in the public sphere and inspire others. Some of the women who have undergone BLP training have been passing on their knowledge to other women and have begun to assess sustainable development problems in their village, running informal workshops as part of women's groups.
To gain work experience, 25 BLP alumni have completed internships in different organisations and have become 'Trainer of Trainers'. The project has also established a Bridging Leadership Network to provide individuals from the target communities with the means and opportunity to exchange ideas and good practice, and share important information with a wider audience
Siti Hajar is a graduate of the pilot programme for the Bridging Leadership Project. She describes the BLP training as “fantastic!” It helped her realise more about her own identity and how to develop solutions for a better future, but she acknowledges she has more to learn.During her training she learned about the benefits of organic agriculture, particularly for rice production. She has since been able to help educate interested members of her community on the process of making a transition to organic production, thereby reducing the need for chemical fertilisers and protecting the soil in the long-term.
Raising awareness about organic agriculture among the wider community is not an easy task. Using chemicals is relatively easy and brings instant results for farmers, but often the results come at an increasing financial and environmental cost.
To educate the community about environmental issues and the economic benefits of using organic agricultural methods, Siti convenes meetings twice a month with regular attendance from both men and women. She has also been newly appointed as editor of an agricultural journal based in the neighbouring region.
Her next project is to support a group of teenagers who want to form an action group in developing and achieving a shared vision for their community. She fully expects to use lessons learned from BLP to help them in this, and to continue her community work for a long time to come.
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