A Study of the Contributions of the Winongo River School (SSW) in Developing Disaster Awareness Behavior in Yogyakarta, Indonesia

Abstract

This study aims to understand how the river school contributes and enables community members who can be aware of and sensitive to disasters, concerns and behaviors supportive of river conservation. The importance of the river school emerges because the existing river malfunction, becoming a resultant effect of the community development, which is detrimental to the river environment. This case study was conducted in the Sekolah Sungai (River School) Winongo (SSW), a community-based educational institution located in the river-rich Special Region of Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Areas along the Winongo river, a river that crosses Sub-district Sleman, Yogyakarta City, and Sub-district Bantul, are considered the SSW’s working areas. Data collection and analysis were conducted qualitatively. The research concluded that the river school was considered beneficial to the shaping of the community’s disaster-aware behaviors and provided positive contributions physically or non-physically in terms of the emergence of community disaster awareness, curiosity in children, economic activities, and a healthy environment, although it still needed to be optimally improved. The study results are useful for developing concepts or theories for community education or community empowerment, especially to generate ideas for encouraging the river school. This encouragement is expected to provide more meaningful, innovative, and holistic activities and gain support by establishing partnerships with parties sharing similar concerns. This study on the river school provides important information regarding the management of disaster education actions in forming disaster awareness in the community. The information concluded by this study can also become an input for academics and practitioners to develop meaningful programs and management of river schools.