Young people play a crucial role in driving change and promoting sustainable economic growth and development. They are not only actors but also catalysts for innovation and progressiveness in rural communities. Several important initiatives have emerged from active youth involvement, such as the establishment of Tourism Awareness Groups promoting local tourism potential, Village-Owned Enterprises (BUM Desa) enhancing local economies, and small businesses leveraging local natural resources, such as coffee production and nature tourism services. However, behind these successes, challenges arise. One of them is access to knowledge, skills, and resources, which are often limited for young people. Therefore, it is important for the government and related institutions to provide greater support in developing youth entrepreneurship potential in villages so that they can continue to be drivers of sustainable development.

The Relung Indonesia Foundation organized Entrepreneurship Training activities, targeting youth and young farmers in the Petungkriyono District, with the aim of developing an entrepreneurial culture in the younger generation, preparing them to face the current competitive and open economic competition, as well as for the future. This activity is one of the series of activities in the Integrated Agroforestry and Agriculture Development Program for Improving Environmental Quality in the Upper Sengkarang Watershed, Central Java, as one of the Terra Fund programs, a collaboration program between BPDLH and the Ford Foundation.

The Entrepreneurship Training activity with the theme “Developing the Potential of Village Youth Entrepreneurship” was held in July 2023 and was attended by 38 young people from the Petungkriyono District. This training involved various partners and stakeholders such as the management of BUM Desa Petungkriyono, HIPMI Kab. Pekalongan, and KADIN Pekalongan. The goal is to develop entrepreneurship as an alternative to addressing unemployment issues by guiding young people to have independent and creative minds, and to take steps to create job opportunities for themselves and others, thus driving village economic growth.

Contributor:

Raditya Windar Anggoro