By: Pratama Aditya Haryanto (Panda Mobile Coordinator)

The Center for Library and Agricultural Technology Dissemination (Library) Bogor again held Library Visit Day to increase public interest in reading, especially the younger generation. This year is the 3rd time PUSTAKA collaborates with WWF-Indonesia's Panda Mobile to enliven the event.

Taking place on Thursday (28/09) at PUSTAKA Bogor Building, Panda Mobile WWF-Indonesia held conservation education to students who were invited to visit PUSTAKA on Library Visiting Day. The Library Visit Day activity this time was attended by 300 junior high school students from SMPN 01 Bogor. The students were first invited to enter the PUSTAKA building and allowed to make observations in the library. Many reading books were selected by the participants and then read in turn. After being satisfied reading, the participants were directed to the Panda Mobile truck which was parked in the courtyard of the PUSTAKA Building.

Because the number of participants was quite large, the Panda Mobile team divided them into two groups to take part in different activities at each post. There was a movie post and a game post. For the movie watching post, the participants were treated to a variety of movies about conservation. There are movies about the animals that are the focus of WWF-Indonesia's conservation, and there are also movies about the plastic waste reduction campaign. Through the film, the younger generation was made aware of the dangers of plastic waste that cannot be decomposed. The last movie screened was about the reciprocal relationship between humans and nature, where all living things have the same right to live on Earth and have a sustainable nature.

At the game post, students are invited to play while getting to know typical Papuan animals in the game "Explore Papua". In this game, students will choose cards that contain facts about endemic Papuan animals, such as birds of paradise, pig-snouted turtles, golden coat kangaroos, whale sharks, etc. After reading the clue card, the students had to put the ball into a bucket with a picture of one of the Papuan animals according to the information they read. Each participant only had two chances to put the ball in. They looked happy with this game. In addition to playing, the participants can also learn more about typical Papuan animals.

After playing and watching the movie, the students were also invited to discuss while listening to the story presented by Kak Ryan. The participants were invited to discuss the extinction of animals, environmental changes around the place of residence, unpredictable weather, and campaigns carried out by WWF-Indonesia. Kak Ryan told a story about an orangutan child who lost his parents and home. The students listened to the story carefully.

Eni, one of the PUSTAKA staff revealed, "Activities with WWF-Indonesia's Panda Mobile every year always bring good interest to the children who come. They become more enthusiastic (to the library) because fostering interest in reading is very difficult nowadays, if you just tell them to come to the library."