JAKARTA SOCIAL INSTITUTE

(JSI)

The Jakarta Social Institute (JSI) was established by several young Jesuit Philosopher Scholastics from the Driyarkara Philosophical Faculty as a center for social research and as a library in 1974. In 1978 the Jakarta Social Institute (JSI) was established by the Indonesian Province of the Society of Jesus as a small Non Government Organization. The Jakarta Social Institute (JSI), has as its primary activity the running of a center for the development of a network of solidarity at the grassroots level of the life of the poor, especially the urban poor in Jakarta- Bogor- Tangerang- Bekasi (Jabotabek). The people served by the center include workers (factory workers, migrant workers, women laborers), street vendors/children, scavengers, maid servants, squatters and slum people who are often the victims of human rights abuses in and around Jakarta as well as other parts of Indonesia.

JSI would like to be a friend of the poor and hopes to serve the victims of oppression and manipulation, excluded from taking part in a just social structure. The existing social structure does not provide them any benefits but rather deprives them of basic services.

It is, therefore, necessary to build up a more just a social structure. The poor themselves are the primary agents in the development of a just social structure. If they organize themselves, the poor could take part in shaping a more just social structure. It is important, therefore, to help the poor organize themselves so as to be more able to take part in their own decision-making processes. It is important as well to help those sympathetic to the struggle of the poor so that they too can make their own contribution in improving the life of the poor.

The specific contributions of the JSI consist in critical analysis of the problems of poverty as well as social justice. This critical analysis should be the result of combined efforts of those engaged in sociological disciplines and those working directly among the poor. The result of these combined efforts can help to determine and evaluate various projects serving the needs the poor.

In the period of 1994-1999 JSI made as its priority the witnessing of self-advocacy for the urban poor worker of Jakarta-Bogor-Tangerang-Bekasi (Jabotabek). These people often are alienated and oppressed, both the urban poor workers in the formal sector and in the informal sector. JSI has worked to facilitate these people to develop:

  • Solidarity / friendship / cooperation / organization of the people.

  • Self-support / the self-determination / simplicity.

  • Critical participatory analysis (as part of the consciousness process).

  • Responsibility / discipline for supporting authenticity, continuity, consistency.

In order to reach its aim, and realize the manpower and financial limitations, JSI consist of three integrated bureau services E.I.:

  1. Workers Advocacy and Education Bureau,

  2. Street Children Advocacy Bureau

  3. Scavenger Advocacy Bureau.

Each bureau with its own emphasis, and is supported by six divisions, E.I.: Legal-Aid Service Division, Social Analysis Division, Primary Health-care Division, Youth Solidarity and Education Division, Audio Visual and Art Division and Social - Economic Division, each with its own functions.

1. Workers Advocacy and Education Bureau

Realizing the weaknesses and the growth or the service potentiality, during these two years, in the period from 1992 to 1994, the Solidarity Education for the Workers Bureau has been committed to develop self-supporting, self-advocacy among factory workers in Jabotabek, in dynamics of the process of solidarity education which is critical and ethical (full responsibility) both in the bases of the labor solidarity group, and in the vast network of labor solidarity:

  • Conscientitation of basic rights and developing community organization of the workers

  • Training of worker organizers and volunteer help

  • Promoting social solidarity among the workers groups

  • Giving legal aid training to the workers (self advocacy)

  • Strengthened cooperation among existing United Workers Solidarity at the local, regional, national and international level

  • Established area alliances capable of effective participation in local government structures and in community development initiatives

  • Operationalized self-reliant area alliances for effective trade union political action at the local level

  • People reached: The Bureau wills emphasis on 15 groups of which each group has 6 to 12 workers, and 15 leaders of workers.

2. Street Children Advocacy Bureau

The Street Children Advocacy Bureau, as the new bureau in JSI which was founded 3 years ago, commits itself to built the realization and the solidarity network within the group of urban poor who are minors (especially street children), so that where they they were alienated and mistreated, they can be recognized as part of the partnership in the struggle of life, with equal rights and dignity before God.

By developing a network of the children and young in our country, the young solidarity strives for the struggle of the young social solidarity with ethical and critical-participatory attitude, in the whole dynamic realization of "union" (organization activities), praxis of witness service (the social activity organization), joint social analysis (intellectual practice) and the confession of faith to God (The spiritual activity), so that the young men and women will be braver to take a stand in faith, which liberates them in facing the essential problems in their everyday life.

  • Election of alternative models and actions of youth solidarity movement in regions by professional evaluation system oriented to an action-reflection-action process

  • Seeking of alternative models and education for the autonomy of slum children

  • Journalistic basic practice of people's solidarity with self-help for Youth

  • Publication of a book on alternative movement models of Catholic youth as a facilitator of people solidarity self-advocacy facilitator

  • Development of dynamics of youth solidarity networks meetings in regional and national levels to strengthen people solidarity self-advocacy movement.

  • Live-in program for students among urban poor.

3. The Scavenger Community Advocacy Bureau

Learning from the service experiences begun several years ago, the Community Self-reliance Development of the Urban Poor Bureau, in period of 1995-1999, endeavors to strengthen the bases of organization of the urban poor in Jabotabek, especially the scavengers, in order to develop a facility for self advocacy, with critical attitude and responsible attitude: rehabilitation and development on the organization structure, mapping the service land of the plan, organizing of the plan, organizing the budget, explicit personal development, and the control system to monitoring, reporting organizing of the rhythm movement and evaluation system.

  • Aiding the organization of grassroots self-advocacy groups

  • United People's Solidarity: coalition policy-making meetings; gatherings to promote coalition solidarity among the grassroots groups (urban poor)

  • Consolidation and expansion of urban poor organizations towards alliance building in Jabotabek

  • Continuation of existing educational program

  • Active non-violent resistance to block unjust execution of laws

  • Signature campaigns

  • Grassroots economic development project

  • Forming economic cooperatives

  • Primary health care cooperatives

  • Training of grassroots organizers and volunteer help

  • Seeking international cooperation in advocacy

COLLABORATION

  1. Indonesian Province of the Society of Jesus (Commission Peace and Justice)

  2. International NGO Forum on Indonesia (INGI)

  3. International Labor Organization

  4. The Other International Link: Young Christian Workers, Informal Sector Service Center Katmandu Nepal, IPECT, etc.

  5. Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI)

  6. Indonesian Charities (LPPS)

  7. Driyarkara Philosophical Faculty, Theological Faculty of Sanata Dharma University Yogyakarta (JSI and Theological Faculty had ever organize study week on Promotion of Justice for SJ and afterwards for Religious).

  8. Forum on People's Health self-reliance, Forum on Solidarity for Workers, Young People Solidarity Network, Indonesian Environmental Forum, Young Indonesian Forum, etc.

WEAKNESSES/THREAT

  1. Manpower always changes, especially for Jesuit itself.

  2. Security oriented government-weak Parliament

  3. Funding: we need more for research and actual commitment

STRENGTHS/CONSOLATIONS

  1. More/increasing numbers of conscientizied people.

  2. Increasing dialogue and collaborations with Moslems, Protestants, Buddhists and Hindus especially for empowering the poor.

  3. Increasing numbers of peoples who join us for managing many of our projects.

  4. When the shadows of The Kingdom of God sometimes emerge among the poor people, which made them peaceful and happy they grow in solidarity, friendship, cooperation, self-supporting, self-determination, and simplicity.

If you wants to know more about JSI, please contact: Indonesian Province of The Society of Jesus.



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Page Last Updated: November 15,1998