Social Analysis Training

Youth and Employment Opportunities

Londalima, February 24-25, 2017

In order to increase the sensitivity of students and church youth to see the social problems around them, Stube-HEMAT Sumba held Social Analysis training. Although the participants did not perform all social analysis, participants were trained to conduct a special analysis related with youth problems and employment opportunities in Sumba. Attended by 29 participants, the training went well and the participants actively participated in every session. Activities in this training were divided into in-class activities (training) and out-class activities. Out-class activities gave participants time to do research on employment issues.

In this training, Drs Umbu Hapu Mbeju, M.Si, the head of Manpower and transmigration office of East Sumba Regency was present as a speaker who brought material about labor problems. Indeed, what happens in East Sumba is the availability of formal employment is not comparable with the increase of labor, therefore it is expected that Sumbanese youth should not rely on formal employment, but should self-equip to engage in non-formal work which has wider opportunity. The nature in Sumba is very promising, and the opportunity is very open if young people are sensitive and have critical thinking, willing to work hard and ready to start with no hesitation. Undergraduate job seekers rely more on formal field so the unemployment in East Sumba is dominated by young people who hold bachelor degrees. They assumed that working in agriculture or livestock has low prestige although that is very promising today, even tourism or other non-formal work areas. In addition, because of the limited employment opportunities there are many labor migration out of the island and even abroad to be migrant workers.

"I really appreciate what Stube-HEMAT Sumba has done with various activities in order to prepare good human resources for the young generation of Sumba. In fact, I am ready to collaborate with Stube-HEMAT Sumba to solve the problem of unemployment in Sumba and prepare things that support the availability of new non-formal employment", he added during the material presentation.

Another speaker was Oktavianus Landi, ST, a member of the KPUD (Regional General Election Commissioner) who talked about how participants get to know and understand the workings and tools to analyze the currently social problem. Social Analysis is an effort to get a picture of a social problem and its cause root while social problem is an undesirable condition and it is not in accordance with the expectation of society and social values and standards that cause suffering and loss. Based on this understanding, social analysis presents as an instrument to photograph, to dig and to comprehend the social reality as a whole and complete.

After the training, participants were asked to watch and to observe employment issues in Sumba and it should be written as discussion source at follow-up meeting. Have a good process! (SHS).