Public Lecture by Vera Zakem, Head of Digital Democracy and Human Rights at USAID Universitas Multimedia Nusantara March 27, 2024

Photo Session with USAID Visitor to UMN (Doc. UMN)

BANTEN – The recent visit of Vera Zakem, Head of Digital Democracy and Human Rights at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), to Jakarta, marks an important step towards raising greater awareness and engagement in digital democracy and human rights advocacy. The visit started with an engaging public lecture held at Universitas Multimedia Nusantara (UMN), where Zakem provided a compelling look at the critical role of youth in championing human rights in the digital realm. UMN, a long-term partner of the Saring Daring University Challenge Indonesia, an innovative collaboration between USAID and Meta, was well suited to host Vera Zakem’s visit, which included a public lecture that connected students with a comprehensive overview of democracy and their role as youth in supporting human rights in the digital space. Interacting with over 200-300 participants both offline and online, Zakem’s lecture and subsequent Q&A session inspired participants. The lecture emphasized the importance of active engagement in digital democracy initiatives.

“Digitally literate youth play a critical role in defending democratic principles in the digital age, making the internet a space that fosters informed, respectful, and inclusive democratic engagement, and ensuring that new technologies and digital transformation follow the same values,” Zakem said.

In 2023, Universitas Multimedia Nusantara (UMN) played an important role in Indonesia’s Saring Daring University Challenge program, demonstrating its commitment to improving digital literacy and critical thinking among students. UMN students significantly improved their understanding of preventing unauthorized access to accounts and demonstrated a strong focus on digital citizenship.

“What I got from this Saring Daring is, first, a deeper understanding and awareness of digital security and digital literacy. Secondly, during the mentoring session, we were given insights into our digital content and given guidance on what improvements are needed. This experience will likely guide us in creating digital content in the future. And, finally, the workshop gave us new insights that enriched our ideas about digital content creation,” said Michelle Shannon Garot, Communication student and Saring Daring participant from UMN.

Vera Zakem, Head of Digital Democracy and Human Rights at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) (Doc. UMN)

With active participation and innovative contributions, Universitas Multimedia Nusantara, represented by its Strategic Communication, Digital Journalism, and Visual Communication Design study programs, significantly enriched the impact of this program, further strengthening its position as a key partner in fostering responsible online behavior and digital citizenship.

Saring Daring is an innovative flagship program aimed at university students, enhancing digital literacy, critical thinking, and advancing digital democracy through educational initiatives and social media content creation challenges. This innovative initiative empowers university students to navigate the digital landscape confidently and responsibly.

Since 2023, 177 Saring Daring University Challenge Indonesia participants have produced 66 creative videos that deliver critical thinking messages and promote responsible online behavior. Currently, the program interacts with six other universities to develop real case social campaigns that empower digital democracy in Indonesia.

About University Challenge Indonesia Saring Daring University Challenge is an expansion of USAID and Meta’s flagship “Wai Kid Digital” digital literacy program, implemented by Love Frankie. The program co-creates positive online behavior in the region by working with universities, creative content creators and digital literacy experts to advance inclusive economic growth for prosperous and self-reliant communities across the Indo-Pacific region. For more information, visit saringdaringchallenge.com, Facebook: Saring Daring University Challenge, and Instagram @saringdaring.

About Love Frankie Love Frankie is a social change agency that designs and executes innovative research and communications initiatives to address critical social issues in Asia Pacific. Love Frankie supports progressive social organizations to design and create evidence-based social campaigns and communication strategies to achieve social change goals. Love Frankie combines unique creative thinking with deep local insights to create culturally targeted campaigns and create real impact.

By Fikom UMN

English translation by Levina Chrestella Theodora

Kuliah di Jakarta untuk jurusan program studi Informatika| Sistem Informasi | Teknik Komputer | Teknik Elektro | Teknik Fisika | Akuntansi | Manajemen| Komunikasi Strategis | Jurnalistik | Desain Komunikasi Visual | Film dan Animasi | Arsitektur | D3 Perhotelan , di Universitas Multimedia Nusantara. www.umn.ac.id