UNU Jogja Equips Students through Student Impact Bootcamp Ahead of Social Laboratory Deployment

Yogyakarta, Indonesia – The Social Laboratory (Labsos), under the tagline Shaping the Future of Society, is a flagship program and approach developed by Universitas Nahdlatul Ulama Yogyakarta (UNU Jogja) that integrates off-campus learning, community engagement, and impactful research. Labsos aims to create sustainable social impact through student-centered learning and innovative knowledge development in support of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Working with multiple stakeholders and engaging directly with real-world conditions are important parts of students’ development, enabling them to understand and contribute to addressing challenges in their surrounding communities. Labsos offers students two program schemes: Community Development/Research and Development and Internship.

To prepare students before they engage in the field through Labsos, UNU Jogja is equipping around 300 sixth-semester students from various study programs through the Student Impact Bootcamp program.

Held over three days, on September 3, 4, and 7, 2026, the students received direct guidance from professionals and practitioners on various topics, ranging from communication and program design to community empowerment, fundraising, and presentation techniques.

“We invited a number of practitioners and professionals as speakers to provide students with relevant perspectives and preparation ahead of their deployment in the Labsos program,” said Joko Susilo, Director of Community Engagement and Social Laboratory at UNU Jogja.

The training began with basic communication skills delivered by Jihad Wafda from the Directorate of Student and Employability at UNU Jogja. Students then received training on Academic Integration, Safeguarding, and Workplace Safety from Suharti, Chair of the UNU Jogja Task Force for the Prevention and Handling of Violence in Higher Education. The training also included a Mainstreaming GEDSI session with Dr. Wiwin Rohmawati, Senior Advisor at the Center for GEDSI UNU Jogja.

To ensure risk mitigation and safety during off-campus learning activities, Ronny Dwikusuma Putra from BPJS Ketenagakerjaan DIY delivered a session on Insurance and Occupational Safety. In addition to personal preparedness, students were also equipped with program design skills through an introduction to the Design Thinking and Program Ideation approach, delivered by Joko Susilo, Director of Community Engagement and Social Laboratory at UNU Jogja.

On the second day, the training focused on strengthening students’ ability to understand community conditions and potential. Students attended a Community Potential Mapping and Empowerment session with Nur Sauda Al-Arifa D., S.T.P., M.Sc., Head of the Agribusiness Study Program at UNU Jogja.

Students’ program communication skills were further strengthened through a Creative Campaign and Content Management session with Intan Agisti, Director of Communications at UNU Jogja. Meanwhile, Rinanti Nur Hapsari, Director of Student and Employability at UNU Jogja, delivered a session on Work Ethics and Professionalism to prepare students for professional conduct when working within communities.

On the third day, students gained insights into program sustainability through the Fundraising: Finding Money and Beyond session with Dwi Sulistia Ningsih, Founder of Bale Baca Cijayanti and a 2024 MUDA30 Awardee by Pijar Foundation.

The training continued with a session on Impactful Technology Innovation led by Dr. Eng. Mochamad Syamsiro, Dean of the Faculty of Technology at UNU Jogja, followed by a session on Participatory Learning Methods and Practices with Dr. Himar Amaruddin, a lecturer at the Faculty of Education at UNU Jogja.

The Student Impact Bootcamp concluded with a session on Pitch Deck Development and Pitching Techniques with Azellia Alma Shafira, Co-Founder of Banoo.

Joko Susilo, Director of Community Engagement and Social Laboratory at UNU Jogja, explained that after completing the Bootcamp, students would be deployed to the field through UNU Jogja’s network of Labsos partners and Shohibul Labsos.

The partnership network includes cross-sector entities at the local, national, and international levels, including NU autonomous bodies, Islamic boarding schools, educational institutions, government agencies, corporations, startups, MSMEs, NGOs, research and think tank institutions, and local communities.

Students interested in developing individual professional skills and deepening their disciplinary expertise can choose the Internship scheme. Meanwhile, students interested in developing collaborative projects in multidisciplinary teams to create sustainable impact can choose the Community Development/Research and Development scheme.

“The variety of schemes and diverse range of partners provide students with opportunities to develop their competencies and explore their career interests for the future,” he concluded.

Reporter: Latifah