National Youth, Nasdem's Efforts to Build Political Awareness from an Early Age

So far, politics has often been viewed negatively by society. The image of politics full of intrigue and dirt emerged, among other things, because society only sees politics from the surface. In order to provide a perspective that politics is not only about power, but also policies that have a direct impact on people's lives, the Nasdem Party launched the program Remaja Bernegara

The Deputy Chairman of the Nasdem Party, Saan Mustopa, explained that Remaja Bernegara is an initiative from the Nasdem Party aimed at introducing politics to the younger generation in an educational and inspirational manner.

"Do not let them only understand politics from its negative side. We want the younger generation to understand politics comprehensively and deeply," said Saan during the launch of Remaja Bernegara at NasDem Tower, Menteng, Jakarta, Saturday (15/2/2025).

Also present at the launch of the event was the Chairperson of the NasDem Party Advisory Council, as well as the initiator of Merdeka Bernegara, Siti Nurbaya. Meanwhile, the Chairman of the NasDem Party, Surya Paloh, was not present as he was attending the Gerindra anniversary event.

Saan Mustopa stated that political policies affect many aspects of life, ranging from education, health, to employment. For example, he highlighted the issue of budget cuts in education as a result of government budget efficiency measures.

This budget cut could impact the continuity of scholarship programs such as the Smart Indonesia Card. "Therefore, it is important to understand that the political decisions made today will affect the lives of the younger generation in the future," he said.

In addition to building political understanding, the Youth in the Nation program also aims to foster collective awareness and social concern among young people. Saan quoted the message of Nasdem General Chairman Surya Paloh, who stated that collective awareness must be instilled from an early age for the sake of the nation and state.

Currently, many labels are given to the younger generation, such as the “strawberry generation” and the “sandwich generation”, who are often considered less concerned about their surroundings. However, through this program, Nasdem wants to instill the values of caring, courage to express opinions, and a constructive critical attitude. “Through Remaja Bernegara, the younger generation will get used to debating, dialectic, and expressing their thoughts. This is important so that they have awareness, critical thinking, and social sensitivity,” added Saan.

He stated that Remaja Bernegara is not just an educational activity, but also a platform for the younger generation to shape their leadership character. Saan hopes that in the next 10-20 years, graduates of this program will become future leaders, whether in parliament, local government, or various other sectors.

Youth in the Nation is held every Saturday with 30 participants in each session.

For the first wave, which will be held in February-April 2025, a total of 210 students from Jakarta and its surroundings will participate in this activity. It is targeted that a total of 1,035 participants aged 13-19 years will take part in this activity over the next year.

This program also features educational sessions with mentors who are national-level political officials to discuss various issues, such as poverty and employment; climate and the environment.

Head of the New and Millennial Voters Division of the NasDem Party DPP Lathifa Marina Al Anshori explained that Remaja Bernegara is an educational program for Indonesian youth, where participants can learn about the democratic system and how to make policies through games.

He explained that there are three models of state game simulations that will be played by participants in this program, namely recess simulations, namely when members of the DPR go to the field to collect public aspirations; plenary simulations to discuss relevant issues in sessions at the DPR; and simulations of the leadership deliberative body.

"For one day, participants will experience what it's like to be a member of the DPR, an official, or a community leader. When playing a recess simulation, for example, participants will become a member of the DPR who meets with the community," he said.

Participant of the Youth in the Nation, Farrel Arfagani from SMAN 23 Tangerang Regency said that he was interested in joining this activity because there was a simulation of becoming an official. "I want to get experience as an official and also want to socialize," he said.

Farrel, along with two of his friends, Habibi Ahmad Nur Santoso and Abdul Jabar Prakoso, stated that they were not interested in becoming politicians at all. But Farrel and his friends realized that political policies greatly affect life. "The policy of education budget efficiency, for example, can reduce educational facilities at both school and university levels," said Farrel.