Saturday (25/8) located at Bumi Kepanduan Sentul, Sentul, West Java, the UI FMIPA Biology Department Team held the UI Cares Action event: Autiscare Special Camp 2018 in collaboration with the Pandu Cendekia Foundation, Bumi Kepanduan Sentul (BKS) and Assyakur Adventure, and supported by the Directorate of Research and Community Service, University of Indonesia (DRPM UI).
The event, which ran until Sunday (August 26th), was attended by 21 children with special needs (ABK) aged 13-15. Nine of them were under the guidance of the Putra Fitri Foundation and 12 were under the guidance of the Rumah Autism Foundation.
Each child is accompanied by a companion (sibling) who are the child’s parents, teachers, or therapists. Then, each child is also accompanied by 1-2 student volunteers from the University of Indonesia Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, the Faculty of Nursing, and the UI Scouting Student Activity Unit, bringing the total number of volunteers involved to around 70 people.
The activity raised the theme “AUTISCARE SPECIAL CAMP“. Windri Handayani from the Department of Biology, FMIPA UI, as the chair of the committee, revealed that Special camp This aims to provide an independent space for autistic people to express themselves and interact with the outdoors.
Furthermore, Windri continued, this activity also involved the UI academic community to raise awareness and a shared commitment to contributing to autism management.
She also explained that her team strives to address aspects that support the development and interaction of children with special needs, such as providing food free of flour, milk, and sugar, as these can trigger hyperactivity in children with special needs. The games and activities are aimed at fostering interaction, courage, self-confidence, focus, independence, and developing the ability to learn and adapt to the environment.
Windri further explained that through outdoor activities like this, children are stimulated sensorially and motorically, they can see the green leaves, the blue sky, breathe fresh air that is free from pollution, feel the softness of water, soil, and the warmth of fire which is expected to enrich their experience.
Meanwhile, Fajar Reza Budiman as founder The Pandu Cendekia Foundation hopes that this activity will become a pioneer for other activities such as empowerment and independent spaces for children with special needs to have a better quality of life and be able to benefit the community.
This event is filled with fun activities and various outdoor activities that have been designed and adapted to the abilities of ABK, such as descending and climbing hills, sliding, crossing bridges over water.
In the evening, participants gathered together to sing songs and poems around a campfire.
Ratna, the advisor of the Rumah Fitri Foundation, expressed her deep appreciation for this activity. She said that the children under the foundation’s guidance had never participated in a camping activity like this before. She hoped this activity would inspire the children to enjoy playing and interacting with a different environment.
Farida, a teacher at the Rumah Autism Foundation, echoed this sentiment. She believes activities like this are essential for increasing interaction between children with special needs (ABK) and nature and new people, training children to understand instructions, develop obedience, courage, focus, and express themselves.
Nurimah, Gilang’s mother, a parent of a student from the Putra Fitri Foundation, was very enthusiastic about the event. She stated that this was Gilang’s first time staying overnight without a companion and hoped that this program would help him become more independent.
At first, the volunteers, most of whom had never interacted with ABK before, felt quite awkward, but over time, through the approach and a series of prepared games, a sense of connection and emotion emerged.
Volunteer brothers and sisters sibling help and encourage the participants to be able to complete the games they play, and accompany their activities while camping together sibling.
All games attempt to explore the participants’ physical activity, emotions, and expressions. This, it is hoped, will enable them to become more independent individuals and develop their potential.
This event was made possible thanks to the support of all parties. The entire UI Peduli Action Team hopes that similar activities can be held again in the future, as a platform to build synergy within a joint movement, demonstrating our concern and commitment to helping children with disabilities. Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and as a form of therapy for ABK to develop all their potential.
“We sometimes need them to be more honest with ourselves and to be grateful and patient in everything. Once again, Autism is not a disability, it’s a different ability,” said Windri.
