C O M I N G S O O N

You don't want to miss this one. Mark your calendar event, and get involved!

. WEWRITE . March 2015 .

*It is dedicated as a one of post-program activities

Bandung, 23 September 2014

Cheers!

Achie

Intercultural Understanding, antara Tantangan dan Jawaban

“Culture makes people understand each other better. And if they understand each other better in their soul, it is easier to overcome the economic and political barriers.”—Paulo Coelho, Novelist & Writer

Tidak ada ungkapan yang lebih tepat selain pernyataan setuju saya atas apa yang disampaikan Paul Coelho, seorang novelis asal Brazil yang menghasilkan banyak karya populer di dunia saat ini. Apa yang kita kenal dengan istilah “budaya” ataupun “kebudayaan” memang bukan sebuah panasea atau obat penawar mujarab untuk mengatasi masalah. Akan tetapi, “budaya” atau “kebudayaan” itu sendiri seperti memiliki kekuatan yang dapat mencairkan kebekuan, memudahkan suatu hal untuk dipahami, bahkan dapat meredakan suatu ketegangan. Maka sulit untuk dipungkiri, bahwa intercultural understanding menjadi media penting dalam suatu pondasi hubungan diplomatis antar negara.

                                   

Seperti halnya yang telah lama dibangun oleh kedua negara tetangga, Indonesia dan Australia. Sejak kemerdekaan Indonesia, kedua negara ini telah menjalin hubungan diplomatik, mulai dari kerjasama formal, hubungan perjanjian dan MOU, keanggotaan bersama dalam forum regional dan perjanjian multilateral. Dari segi perdagangan dan sektor bisnis, kerjasama kedua negara ini pun terus tumbuh setiap tahunnya. Hal ini didasari atas kesadaran dari kedua belah pihak bahwa masing-masing saling membutuhkan. Terlebih pada 2005, Indonesia-Australia telah menandatangani comprehensive partnership, kemitraan yang tidak hanya mencakup satu bidang, akan tetapi lebih menyeluruh dan bersifat holistik.

Sebagai negara tetangga, Indonesia-Australia telah melalui berbagai fase pasang surut yang sebagian besar dipicu oleh iklim politik kedua negara. Contoh kasus terbaru adalah the spying scandals yang terjadi akhir 2013 lalu. Bias pemberitaan media massa di kedua negara juga menjadi pemicu memanasnya hubungan bilateral yang puncaknya ditandai dengan penarikan Duta Besar Indonesia di Canberra sebagai bentuk kekecewaan pemerintah Indonesia terhadap pemerintah Australia, ketika itu.

Namun, apa yang terlihat pada lapisan permukaan, yaitu ketegangan antara pemerintah, seringkali belum tentu merepresentasikan apa yang terjadi pada lapisan di dalamnya, yaitu society, antar warga negara di dalamnya. Sebagai contoh sederhana, ketika kasus itu muncul, saya justru tetap berhubungan sangat baik dengan rekan kerja yang berkewarganegaraan Australia. Bahkan, kasus tersebut menjadi bahan diskusi menarik bagi kami. Kemungkinan tersebut bisa terjadi jika sejak awal telah tertanam saling pengertian yang kemudian melahirkan apa yang disebut sebagai toleransi. Kekuatan hubungan people to people dapat menjadi perekat yang efektif.

Apa yang kemudian disebut sebagai Intercultural Understanding memang menjadi topik penting tak hanya dalam hubungan bilateral antara Indonesia-Australia saja, melainkan juga hubungan antara negara lainnya. Namun, bagi Indonesia-Australia, topik ini telah banyak berkontribusi bagi keduanya. Ada banyak hal yang telah dilakukan untuk dapat melahirkan ruang dalam menciptakan Intercultural Understanding. Melalui bidang pendidikan, Indonesia-Australia memiliki Australia Award Scholarship and Australian Development Scholarship (ADS) yang setiap tahunnya rutin mengundang mahasiswa Indonesia untuk melanjutkan studi mereka di berbagai universitas di Australia. Dari bidang riset, para peneliti Indonesia-Australia juga membentuk Australia-Indonesia Centre (AIC) pada 2013 lalu yang berpusat di Monash University. Tujuannya adalah untuk memperluas kerjasama dalam bidang penelitian, terlebih untuk melahirkan solusi bagi masalah yang dihadapi bersama, baik di bidang kesehatan, energi, dan infrastruktur melalui penelitian yang dilakukan bersama.

Pada Maret 2014 lalu, melalui Kemitraan Australia Indonesia untuk Keadilan, sebuah program yang didukung pemerintah Australia dan Bappenas, lahir program untuk membantu kaum difabel mengatasi hambatan besar yang dihadapi dalam sistem peradilan Indonesia.

Melalui bidang kepemudaan dan diplomasi, Indonesia-Australia memiliki Causindy (Conference for Australian and Indonesian Youth) yang tahun ini baru saja digelar di Jakarta pada 14-17 September lalu. Causindy merupakan ruang bagi para diplomat dan atau aktivis muda kedua negara untuk bertemu dan berdiskusi mengenai tantangan masa depan bagi hubungan bilateral Indonesia-Australia. Melalui bidang kepemudaan dan kebudayaan, Indonesia-Australia juga memiliki Australia-Indonesia Youth Exchange Program (AIYEP) yang telah terjalin baik sejak tahun 1981, dan akan terus berlangsung setiap tahunnya. Ditambah lagi dengan hadirnya sejumlah relawan Australia di Indonesia melalui program Australian Volunteers for International Development (AVID).

Diharapkan penanaman hubungan yang lebih bersifat informal, dari masyarakat ke masyarakat ini, dapat menjadi dasar hubungan yang dapat kian memperkuat hubungan formal bagi kedua negara tetangga ini.***  


Bandung, 23 September 2014

Cheers!
Achie

Indonesia’s Creative Industry Today: The Role of Creative Industry in Facing ASEAN Economic Community 2015

The creative industry is seen as a vital part of moving the country towards a more innovative and productive. It also important towards contributing to the welfare and sustainable development. Indonesia, as a one of ASEAN Community countries, has been experiencing a sudden growth in contemporary art market. It is true that Indonesia has been gearing up to develop its creative industry in facing ASEAN Economic Community 2015. It is illustrated by the enthusiasm which came up in 2009, when Ministry of Trade was designed 2009 as “The Year of Creative Industry”. The creative industry could become an answer to drive the increases of our economic growth.

According to the Ministry’s data, in 2010, creative industry which currently comprises 15 sectors, including arts, advertising, performing arts, handicraft, music, fashion, and design contributing a total of 7.2% of GDP and 9% of export value, and it was growing rapidly to 9% of GDP in 2013. It became more interesting when the data showed that the highest contributor in the industry is fashion, which represented 64.4% of last years’ overall creative industry exports. However, based on the Trade Ministry’s data, exports of fashion products topped $10.97 billion from January to November last year. Indonesia’s biggest destinations for fashion products are the United States, Japan, Germany, the United Kingdom, and Belgium.

Indonesia’s creative industry is offering great potentials and opportunities, such as:

Productivity & Creativity

The advances of creative industry can boost the productivity of economic actors. They will be encouraged to produce an innovative products and services that are highly competitive. In the right time, the Indonesian economic actors will be better prepared to struggle with other countries, in competition at the time of the embodiment of the ASEAN Economic Community 2015. The economic actors will be realized the importance of supporting the sustainable development.

"Moral", a local brand men's clothing which not only focusing in fashion product,
but also social issues (www.moral.asia)

  

Youth & Entrepreneurship

Many developing countries are currently experiencing a peak in their youth populations, then well known as “youth bulges”. In Indonesia, there are more than 64 million young people aged 10-24 years. The number of Indonesian young people is a great potential toward the development of this nation forward. It has been starting since 2009, when creative industry became a warm conversation among young people to develop their own business & creative company. They started to change their own mindset with no longer think how to get a job, but how to create a job.

Currently, most of creative industries is also initiated by young people, especially when the technology is becoming more sophisticated. In early 2010, the emergence of local brand fashion market has been increasing rapidly, such as Bright Spot in Jakarta, Trademark & Lookats Market in Bandung, Kick Fest in several cities in Indonesia, and many temporary markets which became an annual event as well as a new attraction for foreign and domestic visitors. It’s a good sign that fashion sector would continue to drive the increase in exports, followed by culinary.

Lookats Market in Bandung, an annual temporary market
which brought young designers and their local products in one stop venue (www.freemagz.com)

Amble Footwear at Brighspot, a local brand footwear created by young entrepreneur
(www.amblefootwear.com)

Moreover, developing creative industries is the right step in facing the ASEAN Economic Community next year. But still, there are many challenges and ongoing tasks should be done very soon, such as the economic infrastructure and system that do not support the formation of qualified human resources. The development of creative industry and it processes to ASEAN Economic Community should be encouraged by the collaboration and cooperation among government, stakeholders, intellectuals, and society.

The coming years, we will see greater potential that the Indonesian economy will no longer dependent only on manufacturing, agriculture, livestock, forestry, and fisheries, but also creative industries. The next step will be to make the creative industry sustainable, which is through intellectual property rights to protect its entrepreneur and their works.***

Bandung, 23 September 2014

Cheers!

Achie

Indonesia & Demographic Bonus

Did you know? 

Nowadays, in Indonesia, there are more than 65 million young people, defined as those between 10-24 years of age. It representing about 28% of the population. For the next 15 years or so, they will constitute the main driver of economic growth and social change in Indonesia. Like many other countries, Indonesia has a high proportion of young people and the government should plan to take advantage of the resultant 'demographic bonus' to achieve development goals. Young people has a potential to change the composition of the country.

What can (YOU)th do to support the Bonus Demographic processes?
Let's prepare yourself.


Cheers! :)

Bandung, 17 September 2014

Hello Again (Part 2)

Here we go again. 

This is a second post about myself. Ok, I am not trying to become a narcissist (really :p). I need to publish this post as a one of the assignments before I participate in Australia-Indonesia Youth Exchange Program 2014-2015, next month.

So, enjoy!

This post is related to my previous post--> http://bit.ly/1ARLs57 Feel free to read it.

Cheers! :)

Bandung, 17 September 2014

Hello Again!

Yes. Hello again dear My Blog! It has been a year since my last posting. Honestly, it is quite tough to answer the question “who are you?” But well, I am going to make it straight and short.

Lasmi Teja Raspati. That’s my surname that given by my parents when I was born on March 13^th, 25 years ago in Bandung, West Java. Exactly, I am originally from Bandung, my lovely hometown where I belong to. Ohyah, please called me Achie J

I have graduated as a Bachelor of Communication Science, majoring Journalism Studies, from Padjadjaran University in 2012. My passion in journalism and media have been starting since I was in Junior High school, when I became an Editor in Chief in my school magazine.

Currently, I work in Mahana Live, a music promoter company which developed by young people from Bandung. I have been working part time for Mahana Live since 2012 as Media Relations (2012-2013) and Head of Show Management & Creative (2013-present). When I was in Media Relations Division, I used to engage with mass media (radio, TV, online, printed media) and maintain relationship & partnership with them; write a press release, held press conference, weekly media monitoring, etc. As a Show Management & Creative, I used to create and develop event concept, create event rundown, brief the talents, and run the show.

In my spare time, I like watching movie, writing, cooking, volunteering, exploring new places and vintage spots, do some outdoor activities, and traveling. I interest in vintage stuff, drama & classical movies, art-music-cultural performance (theatre, concert, etc.), and local communities.

Five words that could describe myself and also become my strenght; 1) Curious, I am a curiouser like Alice (in the Wonderland) said haha, 2) Creative: I like to create concept, share thoughts and ideas, I like brainstorming with colleagues; 3) Hard Worker: I like to challenge myself to get a good result, and sometime a bit perfectionist, 4) Well organized: I am a kind of person who like create To-Do-List to start my day, I like to manage something, 5) Passionate: I like to do my job passionately, and eager to learn something new.       

Okay, now about my future goal, as a future leader, I plan to develop national media strategies in the field of media and communication studies, particularly in media research. This programme will mean a lot for my professional future career. In the end, I want to build my own media company.

I am eager to learn new things from others. I have a demonstrated ability to work collegially with people from different culture and background. It is a position where my interpersonal and organizational skill could be put to very productive. Moreover, the experience I gained while I worked in one of United Nations agency in Indonesia, United NationsPopulation Fund (UNFPA) as a Social Media Assistant, has nurtured my aspirations for a new point of view regarding the role of media in sustainable development issues. It is my aim to focus my career in this subjects, it is my personal mission that media has an important role to motivate sustainable development in my country, Indonesia.

Anyway, I will be very happy to share my experience with other delegations from Indonesia during our program, Australia-Indonesia Youth Exchange Program (AIYEP), for the next 5 months through this blog. I think that’s all from me, I have last statement which also my motto in life: keep your eyes on the stars, and your feet on the ground. 

See you on the next page!

Cheers! :)