Entrepreneurship: there is a will, there is a way

Multiplication of Stube HEMAT in Raja Ampat.          

Regional development of an area is closely related to regional economic development which requires the involvement of students and young people with all creativity to boost regional potencies. As an archipelago regency, Raja Ampat has challenges in management, both natural resources and human resources. It must be admitted that the government has limitations to implement equitable development and provide jobs opportunity, while Raja Ampat has various hidden potencies. Here, the spirit of entrepreneurship becomes an urgent need to grow among society, especially youth and students with their energy.

Stube HEMAT through the Multiplication program interacted directly with youth and students dealing with the topic of entrepreneurship and existing potencies mapping. The assistance was carried out online because they live far apart between islands and the personal assistance helped them map the local potencies and increase capacity related to creativity which was done specifically.

In the online mentoring activities that took place between October and November, Trustha Rembaka, the coordinator of Stube HEMAT Yogyakarta presented creative entrepreneurial ideas, including (1) culinary businesses related to regional specialties, for example, papeda, sago, and brown sugar food, dried fish or smoked fish, banana chips, sweet potato chips, and regional specialty drinks. (2) souvenir business, for example: making necklaces, bracelets, key chains, noken bags, clothes, t-shirts, hats, shawls, and shell earrings. (3) service businesses, such as tour guides for the Raja Ampat island area, storytellers, motorcycle taxis, photography, and local language translators. (4) the business of goods needed by students, families, fishermen, or farmers, for example, selling staples such as rice, cooking oil, eggs, flour, fuel, soap, fertilizer, fruit, cellphone credit, stationery, and other consumer goods. (5) agricultural business, for example, cultivating plants, selling vegetable crops, selling fertilizers, selling seeds, and planting seeds.

The next step is identifying what kind of business they can work on, what they like best, why do they choose that business, who will run the business whether is done by themselves or involve others in the production, where will the business operate, when will start the business and how do they run the business, from work and promoting their products, for example selling directly to consumers or online.

The assistance was hard because the communication network in the area is not well distributed, especially if they are on an island, besides that there are limited insights and courage to ask questions. However, from the mentoring several ideas emerged, including processing salted fish because they catch fish using boats every day, and making traditional crowns. There is also an idea to sell fuel because boat fuel is needed for inter-island transportation, and the last one is producing thread bags or noken as local souvenirs.

A mentoring and empowerment process requires time and patience to get results. Young people need time to process knowing and developing themselves, especially entrepreneurship for self-independence. If there is a will there is a way. Young students of Raja Ampat, it's time to prove it! ***