Cross-Border Collaboration: UMN and GMLS Use Music and Stories to Teach About Disasters

Group photo of the UMN team, GMLS, and participants (Dok. FIKOM UMN)

December 7, 2025, in South Lebak — Disaster prevention education doesn’t have to be boring or strict. The international community engagement event “Grounding the Science through Storytelling,” which took place at Villa Hejo Kiarapayung on Saturday, December 6, showed this very clearly. The event was a success because it brought together international academic insights with creative arts, and it was aimed at young people and volunteers who help people recover from disasters.

Academics and people who work in the field worked together to officially open the event. Dr. Rismi Juliadi, S.T., M.Si. (Dean of the Faculty of Communication, UMN), Anis Faisal Reza (Founder of the South Lebak Mitigation Cluster/GMLS), Irwan Fakhruddin, S.Sn., M.I.Kom. (Secretary of the Communication Science Study Program, UMN), and Dr. Kristina Nurhayati, M.I.Kom. (Coordinator of Cooperation, FIKOM UMN) were some of the important people who helped start the program. Their presence showed how committed the institution is to helping communities become more resilient to disasters.

Real Action, Science, and Art Prof. Jude William R. Genilo from the University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB) was the main speaker. He talked about how storytelling is a powerful way to “ground” complicated scientific data so that it is easier for the average person to understand and relate to.

Jude during his material presentation session (Dok. FIKOM UMN)

Two people from the PRO-STEP Social Impact Initiative Humanity Project quickly turned this theory into interesting actions on stage:

Fidellia Geisca Menayang led an interactive storytelling session based on the kids’ book “Siaga Bencana Bersama Komi” (Disaster Preparedness with Komi). The goal was to teach kids how to stay alert without panicking.

The whole audience sang and danced to “Pahlawan Siaga” (Preparedness Hero) with Nashita Nashwa. This song was made to be catchy so that people would remember the safety messages. It was part of a campaign to help people prepare for earthquakes and tsunamis.

UMN students during the presentation on disaster preparedness (Dok. FIKOM UMN)

There was a lot of excitement among the attendees, which included students and teachers from SMAN 1 Bayah, volunteers from the Disaster Resilient Village (DESTANA) Situregen, and facilitators from Rumah Baca “Marimba” (Marimba Reading House).

Anis Faisal Reza, the founder of GMLS, thanked UMN for directly reaching out to the people of South Lebak. The combination of Prof. Jude’s deep knowledge and the creativity of UMN students was thought to be very useful for the people of Bayah and Situregen, who live in the disaster-prone coastal areas of the south.

This project is a real-life example of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially Quality Education (SDG 4) and Sustainable Cities and Communities (SDG 11). Its goal is to make a society that is not only aware of risks but also ready to survive.

Contact for the media:

Dr. Kristina Nurhayati, Coordinator of the Relationship of the Faculty of Communication Sciences

[email protected]

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