POSTERS TO PROTECT PARADISE

The Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation (BOS), in conjunction with the Civil Society in Development (CISU), has been running a series of activities aimed at educating local youth. After the success of our 'Lintas Alam' event, this newest activity again involved school-aged children from around Samboja Lestari. On 25 February 2023, Samboja Lestari held an Environmental Poster Design Competition for middle and high school (SMP, SMA) students, which took place in the general meeting hall of Margomulyo village. This activity involved the participation of students from 8 schools, with 16 teams. Each school was permitted to register more than one team, made up of three students. 

The competition was dominated by junior high school students. The participating schools were Madrasah Aliyah Nuruddin Samboja, SMK Pesisir Samboja, SMP Negeri 1 Samboja, SMP Negeri 2 Samboja, SMP Negeri 3 Samboja, SMP Duta Terpadu Samboja, MTs Negeri 4 Kutai Kartanegara, and MTs As-Adiyah Samboja. The poster competition was held to increase understanding of environmental care in the younger generation, especially the youth of Samboja. Indirectly, this activity made participants think deeply about their connection with the surrounding environment, with the hope that the younger generation will become significant agents in the preservation and protection of the natural environment. 

Participants were given a time limit of three hours, in which they used their imagination and creativity to produce posters about environmental damage, relating to both forest and waterway ecosystems. The participants showed great enthusiasm and brought their best work to the table! One by one, the teams were asked to present their posters, which gave students the chance to practice their public speaking. Some students were quite shy about presenting their work in front of an audience, while others spoke with confidence and gusto!

The assessment criteria for this competition included the connection to the theme, quality of group presentation, overall neatness, and teamwork amongst the participants. Judging the competition were East Kalimantan Regional Manager, Dr. Aldrianto Priadjati; Samboja Lestari Animal Welfare Manager, Dr. Agus Irwanto; and Samboja Lestari Communications staff Fachmi Ramadhani.

The committee awarded four trophies - first, second, and third places, and an honourable mention. First place in the Samboja Lestari Environmental Poster Design Competition went to the Anggrek team from Madrasah Aliyah Nuruddin Samboja. Second place went to the Abadi team from MTs Negeri 4 Kutai Kartanegara, third place went to the Rimba team from MTs As-Adiyah, and the honourable mention was awarded to the Rajawali team from SMP Duta Terpadu. The winners received a team trophy and certificate, and every student in the competition received a certificate to reward their participation and hard work. 

The students and organisers all had a great time and expressed their enthusiasm to participate in more nature-related activities in the future!