Gunungkidul, 18 July 2025 – Sekolah Vokasi Universitas Gadjah Mada (SV UGM) participated in the Nglanggeran Chocolate Festival 2025, held from 18 to 20 July 2025 at the Agricultural Technology Park (Taman Teknologi Pertanian or TTP) Embung Nglanggeran, Gunungkidul. This annual festival carried the theme “Local Chocolate with Global Competitiveness” and served as a vital platform for local chocolate industry players to expand their networks and introduce their products to a wider audience.

On this occasion, Sekolah Vokasi UGM’s participation was coordinated by the Center of Excellence (CoE) Cocoa in collaboration with the Agroindustrial Product Development Study Program, Department of Biological and Veterinary Technology. SV UGM took part in the Chocolate Farmers and MSME Bazaar of the Yogyakarta Special Region by showcasing innovative chocolate-based products developed through collaboration between students and lecturers. These products represent the downstream results of research and technological development in the agroindustry sector that has been consistently carried out by SV UGM.

In addition to the product exhibition, SV UGM through CoE Cocoa also conducted direct market research with festival visitors. The research aimed to explore consumer preferences for new chocolate product variants currently under development. The results will serve as valuable input for refining product formulations and designing more targeted marketing strategies.

SV UGM’s participation in this festival also serves as a concrete contribution to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly:

• SDG 2: Zero Hunger, through support for food security based on local commodities
• SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure, through the application of research and innovation in the development of the local chocolate industry
• SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production, through education and the provision of sustainable processed food products

The Nglanggeran Chocolate Festival 2025 is expected to serve as a collaborative space for academia, communities, and business actors in building an inclusive, innovative, and sustainable local chocolate ecosystem.

Writer: Budi Ariyani Hermawati

Documentation: CoE Cocoa Team

Yogyakarta, July 14, 2025 — Students from Sekolah Vokasi Universitas Gadjah Mada (SV UGM) have officially launched SWARA (Smart Wukirsari Agrofarming), a strategic initiative to promote community-based food security through an adaptive and applicable integrated technology approach.

This program is part of the Program Penguatan Kapasitas Organisasi Kemahasiswaan (Student Organization Capacity Strengthening Program, or PPK Ormawa), funded by the Directorate of Learning and Student Affairs under the Directorate General of Higher Education, Research, and Technology, Republic of Indonesia (KEMDIKTISAINTEK). Through SWARA, SV UGM students implement a modern integrated farming model based on aquaponics, combining fish farming and crop cultivation in a single, sustainable ecosystem.

The key innovations in this program include the application of sensor technology for automatic water quality monitoring, technical training in aquaponics farming and post-harvest processing, and community mentoring to develop economically viable agricultural enterprises. The program focuses on empowering women from the Family Welfare Movement (PKK) group in Wukirsari Village, Imogiri Subdistrict, Bantul Regency who play a central role in household food security and serve as agents of social transformation at the village level.

Running from July to November 2025, the program integrates not only food production but also education, environmental sustainability, and local economic empowerment. The aquaponics learning center established during the program serves as an open community hub. In parallel, hands-on training in harvesting, post-harvest processing, and organic waste composting encourages the adoption of environmentally friendly agricultural practices.

In addition, the student team initiated the development of an aquaponics starter pack, produced and marketed by local residents. This innovation aims to create new entrepreneurship opportunities based on modern agriculture and foster an entrepreneurial spirit within the village community. The establishment of this community-based agribusiness marks the first step toward building an independent and sustainable agricultural value chain.

SWARA is implemented by a team of 15 students from various majors at SV UGM, all of whom were selected through a competitive process from university to national level. With strong support from faculty advisors and student organizations, the team successfully secured official funding from the Ministry, in recognition of the relevance and impact of their innovative proposal.

By combining appropriate technology with active community participation, SWARA is expected to become a real-life model of how collaboration between students and local residents can bring about sustainable positive change. This program is not merely a short-term initiative but serves as a prototype for a replicable village innovation model that can be applied in other regions with similar potential.

“We believe that change begins with small steps, taken with sincerity by people who care. From the village we move, with the community we grow, and for Indonesia we take our stride,” said a representative from the SWARA SV UGM team.

Writer: Febriana Trisnawati

In June 2025, the Center of Excellence (CoE) for Smart and Green Building Information successfully supported the implementation of research studies by lecturers and final projects by students of the Department of Earth Technology by providing the latest survey and mapping equipment and conducting training to improve equipment maintenance. This support demonstrates the commitment of the CoE Smart and Green Building Information in supporting the development of science and technology in the field of surveying and mapping, while strengthening its active role in supporting academic activities at the Sekolah Vokasi UGM.

Yogyakarta, July 9, 2025 – Sekolah Vokasi Universitas Gadjah Mada hosted the official opening ceremony of the World Friends Korea PAS Youth Volunteer 2025 program at the Ballroom of the Teaching Industry Learning Center (TILC), SV UGM. This program reflects a continued commitment to strengthening cultural ties between Indonesia and South Korea through the exchange of knowledge, language, and the arts.

Yogyakarta, July 1, 2025 — Sekolah Vokasi Universitas Gadjah Mada (SV UGM) welcomed an academic visit from the Vocational Faculty of Universitas Negeri Malang (FV UM) for a consultation and discussion on developing business units to support income-generating strategies. The meeting took place on July 1, 2025, on the 8th floor of the Center of Excellence (CoE) Teaching Industry Learning Center (TILC) SV UGM. The event was marked by a warm and collaborative atmosphere between two leading vocational education institutions in Indonesia.

(27/12) The Department of Language, Art, and Culture Management held a farewell meeting for Arisa Yamaguchi from Soka University, Japan, who had finished one semester at SV UGM. Arisa joined “International Short Course Program”, a program that provides the participant to take some credits as well as assist the lecturer in class. This program is open for any students interested to learn and share their knowledge/expertise.

(21/1) Dean of SV UGM Wikan Sakarinto, Ph.D. and President of Cyber Hankuk University of Foreign Studies (CUFS), Korea, Joong Ryul Kim, Ph.D. signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) about the cooperation in the field of academic, community service, and research. The MoA includes the possibility for student, lecturer and staff exchange in order to improve the knowledge of the delegates.

Three students from Canada: Hemali Borada, Sneha Chandrababu, Vismaya Bhagavathi Parambath and one Artistic Director from Shivamanohari School of Performing Arts Canada participated in a workshop of Lambangsih Dance. It included in the agenda of Cross-Cultural Program 2019 done by Department of Language, Art, and Culture Management SV UGM. The material was delivered by Dewi Cahya Ambarwati, an SV UGM lecturer, and Anggara Sri Wisnu, a traditional javanese dancer in Balai Budaya Minomartani, Sleman, Yogyakarta, last August.

SV UGM and Volunteer in Asia (VIA) Indonesia did MoU signing on Global Fellowship Program and International Learning Coaching Program last 2018. These programs are meant to provide native speakers for students of SV UGM. The programs do not only accommodate formal English learning; it also allows students to learn English through informal discussions.

Department of Language, Art, and Culture Management SV UGM held the first summer camp with the theme “Utilization of Local Resources in Village Communities for Economic Sustainable Growth” on 8-20 July 2019. GREAT is the abbreviation of “Global Relations for Empowerment And developmenT”; it brings the mission to build the networking in order to empower and develop the society. The program includes lectures, discussions, rural area visit, social & leisure activities, and cultural events. The delegates came from Malaysia, China, Taiwan, and Korea.