As part of efforts to optimize tourism villages and carry out meaningful community engagement, the Community Service Division of the Tourism Student Association (HIMAPA) in collaboration with the Social Division of the Tourism Diploma Student Family (KAMADIPA) conducted a joint community service project. The program was held in Sidoharjo Tourism Village, located in Sidoharjo Village, Kulon Progo Regency, on September 26–27, 2024, and focused specifically on Nglambur Hamlet.
Prior to the implementation, the HIMAPA community service team conducted a survey to identify local potentials and challenges faced by the Nglambur Hamlet community. The findings revealed that Nglambur Hamlet holds strong natural and creative economic potentials, especially as it hosts Gunung Kendil, a geosite of the Jogja Geopark. Being part of the Menoreh Hills, the hamlet also shows promise in coffee production. Warung Kopi Mengger, a local coffee shop, stands out as a potential culinary tourism destination.
To support the community’s preparedness, HIMAPA and KAMADIPA delivered a series of training sessions. The first was a tour guiding workshop aimed at developing local guide cadres. This training included material presentations and discussions, and was attended by youth groups and women involved in coffee and taro processing. On the same day, participants also received training on product packaging for MSMEs, exploring suitable packaging solutions for local products such as taro chips and various coffee types (robusta and arabica).
The team stayed overnight in a local resident’s house affiliated with the village tourism group (Pokdarwis) to continue activities the following day. Day two featured a roleplay session, allowing the community to practice guiding visitors to tourism sites. Starting at Nglambur Elementary School, participants walked to Warung Kopi Mengger to practice narrating the story behind the local coffee. Next, the group visited the taro chips processing center, where they also practiced guiding visitors through the production process. Interestingly, this taro chip business has been supported by the Yatim Mandiri Foundation for the past three years. This visit served as the final point of the roleplay and marked the conclusion of the Himapa Mengabdi 2024 program.
The program received positive feedback from the community, who appreciated the initiative and expressed hopes that it would continue in the future.
“Thank you to the UGM team, hough you were only here for two days, we learned so much, from guiding techniques to what stories to share,” said Bu Mu’alimah, head of Kampung Mandiri Sidoharjo.
[Author & Photo Source: Community Service Division, HIMAPA UGM]
