The success story of Panda CLICK! in a number of regions in Indonesia is rolling again in Melawi District, West Kalimantan. Panda CLICK! is a photography training as a form of community empowerment through photography. It is an approach that gives voice to the values and knowledge of indigenous or local communities through visual communication.

Social Development Coordinator Arabela Landscape WWF-Indonesia Dedi Wahyudy said, Panda CLICK! is a non-traditional community empowerment program through a participatory communication approach.

"We want to manage the knowledge possessed by indigenous/local communities through photography so that it can create changes for the better," said Dedi on the sidelines of the Panda CLICK! Training in Nanga Pinoh.

This program, Dedi continued, aims to increase the capacity of the community to utilize digital technology (cameras) to document and convey the values and knowledge that exist in their environment, be it their daily activities, culture, or traditions. In March, Panda Click was conducted by targeting two villages assisted by WWF-Indonesia, namely Penyuguk and Kayu Bunga Villages in Nanga Pinoh, Melawi, West Kalimantan. This training was conducted on March 18-19, 2025.

For two days, Penyuguk and Kayu Bunga village community representatives were trained on the basics of photography and citizen journalism. In addition, village community representatives were also loaned compact cameras for the duration of the program. The community was allowed to document the values and knowledge that exist in their respective villages, be it socio-cultural, economic, and environmental. WWF-Indonesia will then conduct monitoring of the photos recorded by the community every month.

Through the Panda CLICK! program, each person has the opportunity to bring change to their village and hopefully document the potential and values in the village that are beneficial for sustainable development. In addition, the photos can bridge the values and knowledge that exist in the community with the government and outside the village so that it can encourage better changes in both villages.

Bambang Sripanus, one of the trainees from Penyuguk Village, admitted that he was very enthusiastic about the Panda CLICK Program. The village orderly and member of the Penyuguk Village Youth Organization is determined to produce photos that tell a story to promote his hometown.

The participants, who came from various backgrounds, were very enthusiastic about listening and were actively involved during the training. Participants learned basic photography techniques and how to write a narrative to tell the story of the photos they took so that they can communicate the photos to outsiders.

Participants were also given the opportunity to practice shooting techniques so that the resulting photos could tell a story to anyone who saw them. Including the practice of writing photo captions by referring to the journalistic formula of 5 W + 1 H.

"Seeing the condition of Kayu Bunga Village, which is far from the capital city, I want to be involved in advancing Kayu Bunga Village to be better in the future. I also hope that the Panda CLICK! Program can help build and promote the potential of the village," said Jelani, one of the participants from Kayu Bunga Village.