Three students from Universitas Teknokrat Indonesia (UTI) have launched a youth-led initiative focused on women’s empowerment called “Girls Go Beyond.”
The initiative was founded by Shavina Lestiani, Sekar Kinasih, and Rizma Amalia Sa’adah, sixth-semester students from the English Literature Study Program at Universitas Teknokrat Indonesia. The project was developed under the guidance of Intan Hamzah, M.Pd. and Suprayogi, M.Hum.
Girls Go Beyond is a series of educational and training activities designed to help young women in Lampung build greater self-confidence, develop self-awareness, and learn how to protect themselves from potential threats and violence.
The program consists of two main activities: self-care training and a seminar on sexual violence against women. Through the self-care training, participants are introduced to the importance of personal hygiene, grooming, and personal branding as part of their personal development and future career preparation.
The program was developed in response to survey findings from several institutions indicating that many young women experience insecurity regarding their physical appearance and body image. Through self-care education, Girls Go Beyond encourages participants to develop positive attitudes toward themselves and strengthen their sense of self-love and self-confidence.
Beyond personal development, the program also aims to encourage young women to recognize and maximize their potential so they can pursue better opportunities in education and future careers.
The second component of the program focuses on sexual violence awareness. This activity was initiated in response to concerns about cases of sexual violence in Lampung, particularly those involving children and adolescent girls. Information about such cases has frequently been reported through local news outlets.
During the seminar, participants learn to recognize different forms of sexual harassment and violence, understand their potential impacts, learn about available reporting mechanisms, and develop the ability to become supportive allies for victims and survivors within their communities.
The seminar also includes basic self-defense training to introduce participants to practical responses in situations that may involve harassment or potential violence.
Girls Go Beyond represents an effort by university students to respond to gender-related issues while contributing to Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5, which promotes gender equality. The initiative also supports the “Perempuan Berdaya” (Empowered Women) campaign promoted by the Lampung Provincial Government.
The first Girls Go Beyond session was successfully held in October 2022, involving 40 participants aged 17. The organizers invited Shana Makhmood Khan, a student with an interest in personal branding, and Kania Dea, a student and member of Persaudaraan Setia Hati Terate, to contribute to the training sessions.
More than 90 percent of the participants reported feeling highly enthusiastic about the activities and considered the knowledge provided through the program important for their future.
“I believe this is a great opportunity to show how important it is to learn about these issues at a young age,” said Shavina Lestiani in a written statement on April 15, 2023.
She added, “Some people may think that these topics are not relevant to young girls and that they will learn about them as they grow older. However, many teenage girls do not have access to this kind of knowledge and grow up without fully understanding what is happening around them.”
Shavina is an accomplished student in the English Literature Study Program and has won several national English speech competitions. She is currently focusing on language research related to gender issues while also developing gender education initiatives for rural communities.
Meanwhile, Girls Go Beyond continues to evolve, particularly in terms of its curriculum and program activities. One of its development efforts has been connected to the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI), which Sekar Kinasih became involved with during her time at the University of Nebraska at Omaha.
Moving forward, Girls Go Beyond plans to introduce additional programs and involve more volunteers to expand its reach and impact. Updates and activities from the initiative are also shared through its Instagram account, @girlsgobeyond.