Enviro News Asia, Jakarta – The Ministry of Forestry, through the Center for the Development of the Forest Conservation Generation (Pusgenri) under the Human Resources Extension and Development Agency (BP2SDM), is preparing to expand the Forest Move Club program as a youth development model oriented toward forest conservation, green leadership, and the strengthening of practical forestry skills.
The move is based on the results of a monitoring and evaluation (monev) exercise for the Forest Move Club pilot project conducted at the Kadipaten State Forestry Vocational School in Majalengka, West Java. The evaluation revealed strong enthusiasm among participants for a learning method combining field practice, environmental action, character building, and skills development.
A total of 104 student members of the Forest Move Club took part in the evaluation alongside supervising teachers, widyaiswara instructors, Perum Perhutani representatives, and the Pusgenri implementation team. The evaluation measured participants’ development in knowledge, attitudes, and skills following one year in the program.
During the program, students gained hands-on experience through a range of activities including water spring conservation, the construction of green firebreaks, eucalyptus oil distillation, and the production of silage as a livestock feed bank. These experiences were found to strengthen participants’ understanding of forest resource management while developing skills relevant to the world of work.
Head of Pusgenri, represented by Head of the Nature-Loving Generation Behavioral Development Division Ernawati Eko Hartono, said Forest Move Club was designed as a learning space that encourages young people to discover and develop a love for forests through direct experience.
“Forest Move Club provides a learning space for young people to get closer to forests through hands-on experience. We want to cultivate a generation that not only cares about forest conservation but is also capable of driving change, possesses leadership qualities, and is ready to contribute to sustainable forestry development,” Ernawati said.
She added that feedback from participants, teachers, and partners will serve as important input for refining the development model currently being built.
“The results of this evaluation provide us with important material to continuously improve the program so that it can deliver broader benefits and be implemented across various regions,” she said.
Kadipaten State Forestry Vocational School Principal Zuljalal Aziz said the program has provided students with a distinctive learning experience through direct practice and collaborative work.
“This program gives students a space to learn outside the classroom through hands-on practice, teamwork, leadership, and the development of skills relevant to the working world. We have seen improvements in participants’ confidence, environmental awareness, and motivation to learn,” he said.
Meanwhile, Head of BP2SDM Regional Center IV Anis Susanti Aliati said Forest Move Club has significant potential to be developed as a youth forestry development model that is adaptive to future challenges.
“Collaboration between Pusgenri, schools, the business world, and partners is the main strength of this program. The evaluation results will serve as the basis for program refinement while opening up opportunities to develop and replicate the Forest Move Club model in other regions,” she explained.
Beyond demonstrating high participant interest in practice-based learning, the evaluation also recorded inputs for program development, including extending field practice duration and strengthening learning facilities, which will inform refinements to the curriculum, learning methods, mentoring system, and program evaluation mechanisms going forward.
Through the strengthening of youth capacity, the Ministry of Forestry hopes Forest Move Club can grow into one of the Forest Conservation Generation development models implemented more broadly through collaboration with schools, universities, communities, regional governments, the business sector, and various development partners, producing more young pioneers capable not only of understanding the importance of forest conservation but also of driving real action in their respective regions to support sustainable forest management and sustainable development in Indonesia. (*)
