Empowering Margomarem: Insights from Community Facilitation in the Margomarem Area, Wonosobo Regency
Tapping into Regional Potentials: Establishing Margomarem Area through Collaborative Efforts
Hearing the name 'Telaga Menjer' might not be unfamiliar to some people. This lake is one of the favorite tourist attractions in Wonosobo because of its beauty. Therefore, the Provincial Government of Central Java took the initiative to explore the potential of this area by facilitating assistance to the village community in the area through the Field School.
Through collaboration between the provincial government and the Wonosobo Regency Government, a proposal was made to establish a rural area in Telaga Menjer, which resulted in the formation of the Margomarem Area.
The facilitation process for establishing the Margomarem Area aims to synergize all parties for successful development, starting from discussions, data analysis, planning, and eventually to implementation. One of the priority programs of this facilitation is Quick Wins.
Quick Wins Margomarem has three goals: increasing human resource capacity and institutional area, implementing development programs, and enhancing regional networking and partnerships. The facilitation process includes:
- Comparative Study: Conducting study visits and identification trips to Magelang and Yogyakarta, which already have best practices in the tourism, agriculture, and waste management sectors, to enrich the knowledge of Margomarem Area managers and the local community.
- Formation of an Assistance Team: Assigning one field assistant to interact directly with all stakeholders in the Margomarem Area.
- Community Empowermen: Initiating Quick Wins assistance to build a community-based rural area self-sufficiency system with the goal of accelerating the independence of the Margomarem Area.
The facilitation process has transformed from an offline system to a hybrid system (offline and online) with the following stages:
- First Stage (February - August 2022):
- Intensive offline assistance for seven months for stakeholder mapping in the area and addressing existing issues.
- Tourism capacity-building training for the community through collaboration with government agencies such as the Department of Tourism and Culture and the Wonosobo Job Training Center.
- Formation of a tourism business management unit by Bumdesma, led by the youth in the Margomarem Area as local heroes.
- Second Stage (September 2022 - August 2023):
- Hybrid assistance focusing on the development of Bumdesma members and collaboration with various stakeholders.
- Programs that not only focus on human resource capacity building but also on enhancing the community's economy.
- Emphasizing the principle of self-sufficiency in every assistance activity, with the hope of guiding the Margomarem Area towards becoming an independent rural community.
Stakeholder Mapping is a common method used to map relevant parties involved in the development of an area. This mapping is done to assess the influence and interests of individuals or groups, and to accommodate community aspirations in the development process. Thus, stakeholder mapping plays a crucial role in understanding the preferences, involvement, and aspirations of everyone in the development area, ensuring that assistance for area development can be carried out effectively.
Building Chemistry and a Sense of Belonging: Understanding the community and their needs is not easy and requires an effort to foster trust and acceptance of newcomers. Therefore, through a relaxed personal approach, we can build close and warm relationships with the Margomarem Area community.
Positioning the Community as Main Actors/Working Partners in Various Activities: The community is not only the beneficiary but also the primary party involved in designing, implementing, and evaluating the development activities.
Understanding the Character, Mindset, and Preferences of Each Individual in the Area: Each person has different backgrounds, experiences, and interests in the development process. Therefore, this process is conducted with the aim of better understanding individuals in the Margomarem Area so that assistance can be more effective and their aspirations can be represented.
Building the Same Frequency Requires Repeated Communication: To achieve the same frequency with the community, continuous and ongoing communication is necessary. This ensures that relationships are formed well and ensures that understanding of the community's needs, aspirations, and hopes is on the same track