The CERITA program was first launched in April 2017, starting from concerns about the increasing polarization in society. Conflicts of opinion between communities are increasingly tapering and often cause friction, leading to acts of violence or bullying. Increased mutual suspicion, mutual blasphemy, discrimination, and radicalism are triggered by the spread of untrue Information (primarily through social media), which also threatens the unity and integrity of the nation.

Activity

The CERITA program gathers active young people from various religious, ethnic, racial, and class backgrounds in a workshop called Kafe CERITA. In the workshop, participants were trained on how to tell stories, facilitate dialogue and transform conflict using interactive and fun methods. Participants are also invited to recognize and understand the identity of themselves and others. The CERITA Café Workshop is designed with different program content that allows meaningful interaction between all participants. At the end of the workshop, participants with different backgrounds will share their personal stories. Participants can get to know each other better through the shared life stories and the interactions throughout the workshop.

The CERITA provides a diverse, open, and safe environment for everyone to get to know each other and understand. Participants who have completed the CERITA Café workshop will be named STORY Ambassadors. They then collaborated to replicate the CERITA workshop in their respective communities, enabling more people to connect and know each other. The CERITA was launched in five cities: Bandung, Jakarta, Malang, Yogyakarta, and Solo, and has been replicated in 15 cities/districts in Indonesia with more than 1000 participants.