SSC Holds First Alumni Meeting in Indonesia

In the afternoon of December 11, Indonesia’s first Sakura Science Club alumni meeting was held at Crowne Plaza Jakarta. Approximately 200 people, including organizers from the SSC Secretariat participated to reunite.

Prior to the alumni event, 15 alumni members participated in the coordinators’ meeting to introduce each other and exchange views about future activities. Ms. Helen Kristin and Mr. Muhammad Fadel had volunteered to assume the role of main coordinator. Details about connecting alumni networks in Indonesia were discussed in detail. You can read more from the next article about the coordinators’ meeting. In the future, the secretariat will also work together with coordinators to enhance networks among members.

Five presenters selected from many applicants also introduced various inspirational episodes including the promotion of science education in suburban cities. These stories showed how Sakura Science Plan (SSP) is establishing a firm foothold in Indonesia since the program started.

Meeting Agenda
Part 1: Congratulatory Remarks and Alumni Presentations
● Welcome Speech by Mr. Koda Akira (JST Vice President)
● Congratulatory Remarks by H.E. Mr. Ishii Masafumi
(Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to the Republic of Indonesia)
● Congratulatory Remarks by Indonesian Honorable Guests:
- Dr. Juandanilsyah, SE, MA (Deputy Director for Students Affair, Directorate of Senior Secondary School, Ministry of Education and Culture of Indonesia)
- Ms. Nada Marsudi (Head of Bureau for Cooperation and Public Communication, Ministry of Research and Technology)
● Announcement/Introduction of Indonesian SSC Alumni Association Coordinators
● Presentations by SSC Alumni Speakers
1) Ms. Rizki Maida Octaviani, Simarmata (Gadjah Mada University)
2) Ms. Amaira Utami (A+ Bilingual Learning Center)
3) Ms. Zahra Rizky Intanasri (Research Institute for Humanity and Nature)
4) Ms. Dian Putri, Hastuti (Gadjah Mada University)
5) Mr. Tubagus, Iqbal Maulana (IPB University)
● Introduction to Study in Japan
Ms. Rinjani Hanani Suyu (Education Advisor, JASSO Japan Educational Information Center, Jakarta)
● Group Photo Session

Part 2: Alumni Networking Party
Closing remarks by Mr. Kuroki Shinichi (Director, Department of Sakura Science, JST)

Indonesia Alumni Coordinators’ Meeting

Right before the Indonesia alumni meeting, volunteer coordinators came together at the Opal room at Crowne Plaza Jakarta to introduce each other and to plan about future activities. Mr. Hideo Natsume from JST acted as facilitator.

Apart from establishing basic SNS windows like Facebook for sharing alumni news, coordinators proposed to create an attractive Instagram template that will casually urge members to post their photos on SSC Indonesia’s official Instagram account. Short introduction by each alumni coordinator could also be posted there.

In order to reconnect all SSC members in Indonesia, coordinators have already compiled a simple Google Form ready to go out to Indonesia alumni listed in JST’s database. The Google Form asks for personal information (name, location, affiliation, occupation, social media account, and consent for info-sharing) for future communication. By figuring out the location of each alumni, coordinators can ask someone to be the contact person of a certain area or city.

Once basic communication platforms are in place, coordinators wish to organize groups according to academic interests or research fields for information exchange, local academic meetings or workshops. Some mentioned that the workshops could also include non-academic activities like cultural exchange between Indonesia and Japan.

There was also a proposal to build a Sakura Mentor system, whereby Indonesian master’s or PhD students already in Japan can give advice to younger students who want to study in Japan. One coordinator mentioned that SSC alumni gatherings can also serve as an opportunity to learn more about research partnership programs like SATREPS (Science and Technology Research Partnership for Sustainable Development), where researchers from different countries and Japan tackle global issues together.

As a result of this meeting, Ms. Helen Kristin and Mr. Muhammad Fadel volunteered to become Main Coordinators for the Indonesia alumni association and all coordinators unanimously agreed.

15 Indonesia alumni volunteer coordinators:
Ms.Dina Setyaningrum, Mr.Ahmad Syafii, Mr.Aprianto, Dr.Akhamad Adi Sulianto, Mr.Ferdinan Hironimus Prasetio, Mr.Muhammad Fadel*, Miss Zakiyah Ramadany, Ms.Helen Kristin*, Mr.Lalu Faizin, Ms.Mirnawati Ramli Ahaya, Ms.Miftahul Zannah, Ms.Dian Kusumawati. Ms.Maryam Al Lubbu, Ms. Alifia Zahratul Ilmi, and Ms. Ika Arofa Setiawati

SSC Indonesia Accounts
Email: sakurascienceclubid@gmail.com
Instagram: sakurascienceclub_id
Official Facebook: Ssc Idn Coordinators