Compassion Week – «Caring for Nature»

Por Ratnawati Dinoto
Feb 6th, 2020

Protecting the environment is not only the duty of cleaning staff, but we all also have the obligation to take part in protecting it. This was tried to be realized by 7th-grade students of Jakarta Canisius College Middle School in the Compassion Week program which took the theme «Caring for Nature».

This activity is a program that is held annually and is carried out around the Jakarta environment. It is hoped that this activity can build students’ awareness of the cleanliness of the environment around them. They have the opportunity to experience and touch directly with the environment outside the classroom.

On the 12th to the 18th of December 2019, in collaboration with the DKI Jakarta Sanitation Department, 172 students, and accompanying teachers took action to clean the environment around Kebon Sirih Sub-District and Menteng Sub-District, Central Jakarta. Through this activity, they can see, smell and touch trash directly. They are expected to be able and brave to make a change in their lives, building awareness for the community to be more concerned about environmental cleanliness.

They are divided into small groups of 5 to 6 people. Each group was accompanied by several officers from the DKI Sanitation Department and one teacher or staff. The activity began by taking action to clean up rubbish in the river (Keroncong river, Surabaya river, Mangun Sarkara river, Surabaya Antik river, Probolinggo river, Cimandiri river, and Ampium river) and the environment around Menteng sub-district. They picked up garbage that had piled up with a foul odor.

Also, they held campaign actions and collected garbage at the Car Free Day event. Through this activity, it is hoped that it can inspire people to better maintain environmental hygiene. Cleaning activities are also carried out around the school environment.

This Compassion Week program ends with an exposition of hand-made works with used goods that are recycled into products that can be used again.

Their parents were invited to attend this activity as well as the closing event of the 2019 Compassion Week program.