Jakarta, February 20, 2024 - The onslaught of globalization on local culture has drawn the attention of a group of young men and women assembled in the Pre-Departure Preparation (PK)-223 Sandu Malole. The younger generation is perceived to prefer following foreign cultural trends.

However, Indonesia possesses a very rich diversity of cultures, including traditional music and songs in each region. Moreover, the declining support for traditional musicians and the lack of exposure at the educational and community levels also hinder the spread of knowledge and appreciation for traditional music.

This initiated the LPDP awardees in PK-223 to undertake a social project named "Harmoni Budaya Nusantara" (Archipelago Cultural Harmony). The aim of this social project is to reintroduce and preserve Indonesian traditional music through education and social assistance.

These awardees carried out a series of cultural preservation activities by reintroducing Indonesian traditional music and providing art music education programs. Various social media platforms were utilized as venues to introduce regional music through social media campaigns and the creation of creative content during the period from January 1 to 20, 2024.

The preservation of regional music was chosen by PK-223 Sandu Malole because they wanted to provide a positive and sustainable impact in assisting those in need. At the same time, it aims to increase the attention of the Indonesian public in preserving traditional music as a national cultural heritage.

Not stopping at the regional music campaign, they also conducted fundraising through Kitabisa, the proceeds of which were channeled for social assistance to the Indonesia Orphanage for Orphans in Tebet, South Jakarta.

The visit to the orphanage on January 27, 2024, also brought a traditional music education program and provided social assistance in the form of traditional musical instruments and regional music entertainment.

There was also an art webinar containing an educational talk show about Indonesian local arts, interspersed with volunteers who would perform regional music. Held on February 3, 2024, the webinar was attended by high school students and art enthusiasts.

The social project activities conducted by PK-223 Sandu Malole are a series of tasks that must be fulfilled by LPDP scholarship candidate awardees before departing to study at their intended universities.

The social project is carried out after the completion of the Pre-Departure Preparation activities. Each PK batch is allowed to determine the activities that will be presented in the social project to the wider community.