May 27, 2021 – A great educational experience involving up to 80 participants took place on Thursday 27th May. Students from two schools – State Primary School Lenteng Agung from Jakarta and State Primary School Pepelegi from Sidoarjo, East Java – joined 7 volunteers from HP, including Ms. Dian Wanni, Country HR Lead, Indonesia, and Mr. Boon Pin Lim, Sustainability Manager SEA and AEC Countries, Singapore. Together, they applied their STEM Engineering skills to produce traffic lights. Because schools were not back in session all materials for production were delivered by PJI to each student’s home prior to engagement so as they were ready to construct via online. The event facilitation was undertaken by the direction and support of HP volunteers. This endeavour was particularly impactful as it combined two of HP’s core educational initiatives – STEM Education and Entrepreneurship via HPLIFE.
PJI became aware of an HPLIFE lesson which emphasized the mobilization of STEM skills in the production of a commercial product for sale. This was an excellent experiential fit for some of our students matriculating at upper elementary school levels. We asked students of 11/12 years of age to participate in a series of lessons undertaken over a period of two days, delivered by HP volunteers, culminating in the production of an engineered traffic light.
Both HP and PJI were extremely happy with the ability of students to apply the directions provided and create an excellent product. Some of the students were even assisted by their parents throughout the process of construction – so parents were also learning about STEM! Together, HP and PJI were able to overcome the limitations placed on active learning via an online approach. In doing so, students were actively engaged in their own learning – making decisions, solving problems, and applying organizational skills. This HPLIFE lesson introduced many young Indonesians to possibilities of STEM education and employment in the future.
