International Youth Day (IYD) once again becomes an important moment to reaffirm the strategic role of young people in sustainable development. This year’s celebration, RISE Foundation carries the theme “Akses Pangan Cukup dan Gizi Seimbang: Saatnya Orang Muda Bersuara untuk SDGs 2”, highlighting the issue of food security and balanced nutrition as one of the global challenges that must be addressed together.
RISE Foundation committed to empowering young people and believes that the younger generation has the capacity to be agents of change in creating a healthy, empowered, and sustainable society. Through a series of workshops and talk shows, RISE Foundation collaborates with Lokanusa Kotagede, Bumiku Lestari, and Duta Kesehatan DIY 2025 to encourage young people to turn knowledge into real action.
The event began with opening remarks by Erwando Abadi, Owner of Lokanusa Kotagede and Jamu Mbak Tuk, and Artin Wuriyani, Executive Director of RISE Foundation. After that, Erwando personally guided a tea-making session, Lokanusa style. During this opportunity, participants also joined a workshop to make bir jawa, a traditional Javanese herbal drink.
In the Lokanusa tea-making session, participants learned how to make tea using several ingredients such as chamomile, rosella, butterfly pea flower, lavender, rose, lemongrass, pandan leaves, osmanthus, and stevia leaves as a sugar substitute. Next was the bir jawa workshop using local ingredients such as jahe emprit (small ginger), lemongrass, sappan wood, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, lime, and several other spices.
The NGOPI (Ngobrol Pangan Inspirasi) session discussed the food system from upstream to downstream, covering production, distribution, and consumption with local youth in Yogyakarta. This talk show featured three experts in their fields: Novan Baktiar (Duta Kesehatan DIY 2025), Tamanna Syahida (Bumiku Lestari), and Erwando Abadi (Owner of Lokanusa and Jamu Mbak Tuk). All discussion sessions were moderated by Aulia Rahmawati from RISE Foundation, an experienced moderator who ensured the discussion was engaging, interactive, and insightful.
In the discussion session, Lokanusa’s owner shared stories and strategies to encourage the community, especially young people, to return to local food as a healthy and sustainable choice. Meanwhile, Bumiku Lestari emphasized the importance of creative waste management and the concept of waste barter as a real solution to food and environmental issues. The Duta Kesehatan complemented the discussion by explaining nutritious food choices, eating frequency, and daily healthy habits. With an interactive approach, NGOPI successfully created a lively and meaningful discussion.
Through the International Youth Day 2025 celebration, RISE Foundation invites young people not only to be passive consumers but also to become drivers of change through innovation, creativity, and collaboration.
