Reporter: Napol Riel
The participants of Sudhamala School’s Third Cohort in 2024 began their first joint learning process on Saturday, September 14, 2024. This time, Umah Ramah accepted 10 selected participants; 8 women and 2 men.
The Head of Sudhamala School, Abdul Rosyidi welcomed and congratulated the scholarship recipients. He also explained how Umah Ramah was founded to kickstart the movement until later holding Sudhamala School.
“At the start of Umah Ramah, we learned together with NAPIESV by reading and conducting library and field research. Nina Jusuf also taught us directly how to process ourselves and get knowledge about sexuality and sexual violence,” he said.
From the process of learning, research, holding space and listening to people who have experienced sexual violence, and other activities, Umah Ramah gained a little knowledge and experience. From there the idea arose to write down the knowledge and provide integrated training as part of an effort to disseminate it to the community.
“Beginning in 2023, we believed that this knowledge ought to be disseminated to friends more extensively. So, bismillah, we started providing integrated training through Sekolah Sudhamala,” he added. Overall, this school will provide material on “sex, gender, and sexuality”; “understanding sexual violence more deeply”; “intersectionality”; “the ins and outs of trauma”; and “the art of unraveling oneself from within”.
“However, what we aspire for is not the mastery of cognitive knowledge, but rather the process of awareness,” he added.
At the inaugural meeting, Umah Ramah’s director, Asih Widiyowati, presented words that symbolically began the learning process for Sudhamala School attendees.
“Hopefully, in the process at the Sudhamala School later, we can truly be a safe space for each other, both for ourselves and others. But most importantly for ourselves,” she said.
According to Asih, Umah Ramah founded the Sudhamala School to develop a movement so that sexual violence could be understood correctly. It can be effectively prevented if you understand it well.
“We hope it does not stop with us alone. Similarly, after this, this insight will not finish with you, but will be passed on to others,” she continued.
During the first meeting, each participant and the Umah Ramah team introduced themselves, agreed on the learning process, and shared their hopes and concerns. Finally, each participant told the contents of the reflective essay they had written and sent while registering, followed by responses from other participants.
This year’s Sudhamala School will run every Saturday (once per week) until early November 2024. []
This article was translated by Napol Riel.