Yayasan SHEEP Indonesia (YSI), through the Climate Justice and Child Rights Protection Program (KIPHA), collaborated with Fransiska Dani, a waste management activist from Cupuwatu, to conduct a waste education session for approximately 100 first- and second-grade students of MTs Masyithoh, Sleman.
This activity was part of the Kemah Cakrawala (Horizon Camp), an event that served as both an educational space and a hands-on experience for the children. During the activity, the students were guided to understand the importance of waste management through fun and engaging methods, including sorting, selecting, and processing the waste they generated themselves.
Beyond theory, the students actively practiced sorting waste from their own meals and leftovers from the cooking sessions during the camp. Interestingly, some children spontaneously expressed feelings of disgust when handling their own waste—an honest reaction that became a powerful moment of reflection, highlighting that waste is a personal responsibility. One second-grade participant shared, “At first, I felt grossed out because everything was already mixed up in the trash, especially with friends throwing their food waste in too. But at least I learned that if we sort it from the start, it’s less disgusting and we can figure out which parts can be sold or reused.”
In response, Dani as the guest speaker, along with Evi, a representative from YSI, emphasized the importance of waste education starting at home. The education covered understanding different types of waste: organic waste that can be turned into compost, waste with economic value that can be sold, and recyclable materials. This approach aims not only to build technical skills, but also to foster awareness and reduce the sense of disgust toward waste—acknowledging that it is a byproduct of one’s own consumption.
One student expressed how this activity began to change their perspective on waste. To close the program, the participants—including students, teachers, and the YSI team—planted trees at the Youth Center of the Special Region of Yogyakarta (DIY), the camp venue, as a symbolic act of their commitment to protecting the environment by increasing the number of oxygen-producing plants.
