By: Natalia Trita Agnika

Dwi wanted to apply her educational background as a teacher in a different form of educational activity. Dwi's love and concern for the environment led her to volunteer.

Dwi Widya Mutiara's (26) involvement as a volunteer at Bumi Panda began in 2014. At that time, Bumi Panda, WWF-Indonesia's environmental information house was just about to be launched. Dwi participated in a discussion about the involvement of volunteers in the activation and launching of Bumi Panda. Previously, this hijab-wearing woman has also been a volunteer Panda Mobile since 2012 when the WWF-Indonesia environmental education truck visited Bandung.

Dwi's background as an activist of the Bandung Earth Hour (EH) Community made her have enough networks to invite many people to visit Bumi Panda. Coincidentally, at that time there were also preparations for the Earth Hour switch-off ceremony, so the community often gathered at Bumi Panda to discuss environmental issues in Bandung.

Basically, Dwi loves the world of children. That's why she is always excited when she receives visits from groups of students who want to learn about the environment and conservation. When dealing with sometimes unruly children, Dwi will usually give them ice breakers or give them guesses to get their attention again.

"Even though it can be annoying, we (volunteers -Red) have to maintain our mood when assisting them. We have to be a friend or a big brother to them so that they also feel comfortable and the information we convey regarding conservation can be well received by them," he said.

Luckily, during his time as a volunteer, Dwi received some very useful training to increase his knowledge about conservation. Every month, the volunteers receive conservation discussions with different themes, ranging from marine, forest, and wildlife. In addition, the public speaking training he has received is also a valuable provision when delivering conservation messages to the public.

Although he is busy completing his master's degree, Dwi tries to divide his time between his education and his desire to do volunteer activities wisely. For Dwi, the world of education and the environment cannot be separated from him.

December 5 is the commemoration of International Volunteer Day. This commemoration is an appreciation to the volunteers. Want to become a volunteer and become an agent of change for the preservation of nature? Let's give our time, effort, skills, and energy to change the earth for the better.