Teman Kincir Boost Children's Enthusiasm for Physical Activity at RPTRA

Haris, the administrator of a Child-Friendly Integrated Public Space (RPTRA) in East Jakarta, is no stranger to collaborating with Wahana Visi Indonesia (WVI). "I once helped with WVI's disaster preparedness program a few years ago. I'm happy that WVI is back to implement children's activities at this RPTRA," he said. Various activities have already been held at the RPTRA, from dancing for elementary school students, karate, football, to aerobics clubs for adults. The RPTRA's location is very strategic and has a large open space. Even the location is used by the administrators to plant chili peppers and ornamental plants to make the RPTRA greener and more comfortable. 

With the presence of the Build Our Kids Success (BOKS) program since January 2024, Haris has seen that more and more children are finally choosing to play at the RPTRA. "Because when BOKS activities, children meet new faces. This meeting makes them enthusiastic about participating in activities at the RPTRA," said Haris. 

WVI's Teman Kincir (Kind Circle) are young volunteers who help with BOKS activities for one hour on Saturdays. Some of the volunteers are students, and some are professionals who have various motivations. "I once read a story about the changes made by WVI and activities for children in remote areas when there was an exhibition at the Calvin Institute. I became interested in taking the opportunity to serve the community on the BOKS program because I saw the activities directly interacting with children," said Bintang, a final year student. 

Meanwhile, Vania explained that the reason she joined as a volunteer in the BOKS program is because she wanted to gain experience as a social volunteer. "I have often done volunteer activities at several other social foundations. However, I more often help behind the scenes such as preparing an activity and focusing activities on environmental issues. When I saw WVI's Instagram post which was opening up opportunities for volunteers in the BOKS program, I was interested because finally I could directly do good things for children through implmenting active and healthy lifestyle," said Vania, who works in the agency field. 

The presence of volunteers has increased the number of children participating in BOKS activities at the RPTRA. "I'm happy to meet friendly volunteers and play together," said Vio, one of the children who participated in the BOKS activities. "I like the BOKS nutrition quiz the most after the activity because we compete to see who can answer the questions correctly," said Ragil, who always pays attention to the explanations given by the volunteers. 

The presence of these nine volunteers has left a deep impression on the hearts of the children because they feel cared for when they play. "There are only five administrators in this RPTRA. We also have duties and time divisions to manage the RPTRA management so that it can be a bit overwhelming to continue to accompany children and participate in activities together," said Haris. He assessed that the presence of volunteers also helps administrators to carry out their supervisory functions when children play at the RPTRA so that they can play safely. In addition, volunteers can also minimize the occurrence of quarrels when children play. Young adults who are close to children can mediate and remind children to be more friendly when playing with their peers. 

The BOKS activities at the East Jakarta RPTRA were completed in March 2024. The children actually still hope that the BOKS activities will continue to take place every weekend. "Children continue to come to the RPTRA every Saturday afternoon. They are waiting for BOKS to be held again even though I have said that the BOKS activity has been completed. But because the children expect activities to play while learning, so when I have the time, I hold activities with the children there," said Haris, who has realized the importance of mentoring children while playing at the RPTRA. Based on the experience of implementing BOKS at this RPTRA, the practice of a healthy lifestyle needs to continue to be carried out outside the school context such as the RPTRA by involving young adults who play and interact with children through various activities. 

Author: Donna Marietha (BOKS project coordinator in Jakarta), Reski Pabisangan (BOKS project Digital Marketing and Content Specialist) 

Editor: Mariana Kurniawati (Communication Specialist)