Water Resilience in the Hands of the Golden Generation
The Generasi Cerdas Lingkungan (Gencerling) program might have come to its main event but the effort continues. October 10th, 2025, teachers, educators, practitioners, and supporters in environmental education gathered at the Perpustakaan Nasional RI, Jakarta, to celebrate year of hard work of those involved in the program to raise awareness of water resilience. The program was collaboration between CEST, Danone Indonesia, and LEMTek UI.
Hosted by The Conversation Indonesia (TCID), the event was titled A Drop of Water: Flowing of Inspiration, Celebrating Change at the national library Perpustakaan National Indonesia. We were honored by the attendance of Dr. Halim Muharam, M.Pd from the Directorate of Elementary Schools, Ministry of Elementary and Secondary Education, and Dra. Asri Tresnawati from the Center for Environmental Generation Development, Ministry of Environment and Forestry.
The event was kick started by Hanna Ameera, the Reading Ambassador for Labschool Cibubur Middle School and founder of the Rumah Literasi Lampu Baca. Through her spoken words, she voiced the aspiration of her generation:
“ Hi friends! We are the younger generation. We are anxious and concern, in the name love and compassion. We dare to act, to help save the earth.”
Entertaining us with soothing water-themed songs was Reda Gaudiamo. With her soothing voice, she engaged with the audience through a sing-a-long of ‘Tik Tik Tik Bunyi Hujan’, a timeless Indonesian children song about the rain.
However, the star of the event were all the teachers and students that have become the frontier of water resilience efforts. Within the last three years, the program has reached 17 provinces, included approximately 800 teachers, and reaching 7000 students throughout the nation. Also, we could not have been prouder to have 6 of the 7 selected teachers of the program which include from Lhoksuemawe, Medan, Makassar, Indramayu, and Jabodetabek.
Water and Education: A Forever Stream of Knowledge
The spirit of Gencerling remains unstoppable. Ratih Anggraini, Head of Public Affairs and Sustainability at Danone Indonesia, emphasized the importance of sustaining this program:
“Through a project-based learning approach, children not only gain knowledge but also develop awareness and a spirit of activism to manage water resources sustainably — while inspiring broader community involvement.”
Of course, the education of these golden generation for 2045 are highly dependent on the educators.
“In the process of shaping students’ character, teachers and students must not be distant from one another; teachers should not place themselves below their students, nor should they be closed off to suggestions for improvement.”— Dr. Halim Muharam, M.Pd., Senior Education Expert (Widyaprada Ahli Utama)
Teachers as Catalysts
In a discussion session, several teachers shared inspiring stories from their schools. For instance, Dodi Manulung from SDN Sukahati, Indramayu, successfully organized a Panen Karya (Project Exhibition) with all the school students. He found great help in the thematic and structured Profil Pelajar Pancasila (P5) Project Strengthening Module.
“The module really helped us teach water education in a fun and practical way,” he said.
From Medan, Mahniar Sinaga shared that storytelling proved more effective than simply reading textbooks.
“The children are more enthusiastic when listening to stories from their teachers — they feel connected and involved,” she explained.
Meanwhile, Sastra Wani from Lhoksumawe, Aceh, noted that hands-on activities made students more engaged — even parents felt proud when their children’s journalistic works were published online.
However, the journey was not without challenges. Nyai Santi from SDN Gintung I, Banten, mentioned that the main obstacles were time constraints and limited access to technology.
“It’s sometimes hard to find time between main subjects, and the platform should be made easier to access,” she said.
From Droplets to Waves
The Gencerling program demonstrates that great change can begin with small steps — from the classroom, from a teacher’s story, from a child’s curiosity. As stated by Dra. Asri Tresnawati:
“May this spirit of collaboration continue to flow, strengthening our commitment to protect water and inspiring even broader ripples of change.”
Because ultimately, water resilience is not only about preserving its sources — but also about nurturing the awareness of the next generation, who will become the guardians of the Earth’s future.
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