In recent years, the use of technology has massively penetrated in the community. Technology can be a powerful tool for education, employment, and community engagement. However, Indigenous youth are often under trained in technology, and they may lack access to the resources they need to learn about and use technology.
To address this gap, Ranu Welum Foundation has conducted an event with the theme “Indigenous Youth and Technology”. The event aimed to strengthen Indigenous youth leaders’ skills and knowledge on technology. Starting with calls for applications, seven young leaders were selected as fellows. The workshop was designed for indigenous youth ages 17-30, and it covers a variety of topics related to technology and indigenous community, including AI, technology for digital advocacy and social change, and technology for forest restoration and conservation. The activities consisted of workshops (online and on-site), developing mini projects, submitting digital art, group tasks and presentations.
Through the workshop, the fellows learned about different aspects of technology, got hands-on experience with technology, engaged in discussion with experienced professionals, built skills of utilising technology in preserving the indigenous knowledge and met other like minded Indigenous youth who were interested in technology.
Gala Dinner & Award Night was held on Sunday, 28 May 2023 to conclude the event. Together with the event was the launching of Panguta Dayak, a movie produced by Ranu Welum Media and Multatuli Project. Awards and certificates of completion were also given to the fellows. In addition, the mini grant was won by the Website of Central Kalimantan Culture project by Group 2 (Siti Nur Halijah, Samuel Lin Shing Lee, and Siti Nor Chalisa). The website will be developed to store archives and databases of culture in Central Kalimantan.
The anniversary marked Ranu Welum's 9 years of fighting to protect Kalimantan's forest and rights of the Dayak indigenous community. Through this event, the foundation continued to provide opportunities for Indigenous youth to grow and succeed in the digital age.
