By: Fauzia M. Kusmarani (Volunteer Panda Mobile)

On Saturday (27/01), WWF-Indonesia's 2018 batch of volunteers Panda Mobile had the opportunity to join the volunteer training program. The activity was held at the WWF-Indonesia office located at Graha Simatupang, Jalan Letjen T.B. Simatupang, South Jakarta. In the approximately six-hour activity, participants were equipped with various knowledge about how Panda Mobile works and WWF-Indonesia's programs.

The event opened with ice-breaking activities and introduction of volunteers from all batches. Next, the Panda Mobile team and WWF-Indonesia staff took turns delivering material about WWF-Indonesia's profile, current programs, and a brief overview of Panda Mobile activities. Through presentation and discussion sessions, participants were directed to get to know the real conditions of the Indonesian environment in more depth.

"Panda Mobile volunteers must be able to become role models for the community, especially school-age children," said Sani Firmansyah, WWF-Indonesia's Supporter Center Officer. In order to understand how Panda Mobile works directly, participants were divided into several groups to conduct simulations. In the simulation, participants were given the opportunity to raise one simple environmental issue and express ideas on how to convey the issue to certain groups. Each group presented their ideas for five minutes and was followed by a discussion with other groups.

Towards the end of the session, trainees were invited to dive deeper into Panda Mobile's world of volunteering through video screenings and demonstrations of props. The fresh humor of the video and the new knowledge gained through the props was the perfect ending to the training event.

The participants ended the session with increased knowledge and a strong desire to continue to convey the importance of protecting the surrounding nature for future generations. Hopefully, this training can produce new volunteers with high learning spirit and dedication for the sustainability of conservation education programs in Indonesia.