The Girls Who Will Lead
"When I grow up, I want to be a female police officer," said Lusia Septiana (16), who is familiarly called Lusi. "I want to be a doctor," said Cesilya Andini Winarti (13), who is familiarly called Andini.
Lusi's Daily Life
Lusi is from Kubu Raya Regency in West Kalimantan. Besides going to school daily, Lusi is also active in church activities. She is a third grader in high school from Monday to Saturday, but she is a Sunday school teacher on Sundays.
In addition, Lusi is also an active member of the District Children's Forum and the Regency Children's Forum. She first became aware of the activities of the Children's Forum when she was in the fifth grade of elementary school. At that time, she participated in Village Children's Forum. From a child who used to be shy, she can now involve in Child-Led Research at the district level. "The experience of conducting interviews to collect research data is exciting. The people being interviewed are different, so Lusi can also learn if you ask someone like this what to do, what to do with something like that," she said.
Andini's Daily Life
Andini is from the Nagekeo Regency in East Nusa Tenggara. Andini fills her days as a first-grade junior high school student, a child who also helps her parents with housework, and a member of the Village Children's Forum and Youth Posyandu.
She has also joined the Village Children's Forum since fifth grade. At first, Andini needed help understanding what the Children's Forum was doing. She only saw that other members who had previously joined dared to express their opinions in front of many people. Her routine with the Children's Forum has shaped Andini into a girl who no longer hesitates to speak and have thoughts. "Since being active in the Children's Forum, I have been entrusted with hosting events, delivering speeches, as well as delivering other materials in front of other people," she said.
The Girls Who Lead
Lusi and Andini are examples of girls who can lead. Starting from something that looks simple, for example, being a host, they are leading or guiding an activity. On another occasion, Lusi or Andini read a speech, which meant they were conducting a group audience to hear their message. The Child-Led Research activity that Lusi participated in was also an opportunity for children to be research leaders.
The Children's Forum and other activities that Wahana Visi Indonesia introduces to the community are a means for Lusi and Andini to become girls who can lead. Although, in everyday life, they rarely encounter the figure of a female leader. The thick patriarchal culture where they live and in almost all areas in Indonesia does not provide excellent opportunities for women to develop as leaders. Of the seven presidents who have led Indonesia, only one is a woman. In the area where they live, Andini and Lusi also rarely see a woman who is a village head or district head.
However, with activities that foster the leadership spirit of Lusi and Andini, they have a different future. They are candidates for Indonesian women leaders. Lusi's desire to become a female police officer is a choice that shows her understanding that a woman can also work in a field that looks pretty masculine. Andini consciously and strategically chose to be involved in the Youth Posyandu because she wanted to become a doctor. She has led the plans to achieve his goals from an early age.
"A good leader must be able to listen, help others, be someone who can be relied on," said Andini.
The Children's Advisory Council
Lusi and Andini are also members of the Children's Advisory Council. Together with fourteen other children, World Vision Indonesia projects them equal to Advisors, Supervisors, and Management of the foundation. Members of the Children's Advisory Board will become children who not only lead but also influence determining the work and decisions of the organization.
Children who are members of the council can provide directives that are as real as possible because they are the ones who best understand what they need. In this process, children will reflect on their experiences and create concepts, then draw on these experiences to advocate for and influence decision-making. Through this process, children build confidence and leadership through a holistic approach. The child will also have the correct view of decision-making from the child's perspective.
For Lusi and Andini, this experience was gratifying. "We can also learn a lot from the leaders in WVI." This council provides a space for Lusi and Andini to see the figures of women who lead while, at the same time, they show abilities as girls who can lead.
Writer: Mariana Kurniawati (Communication Executive)
