How can I learn about the neighborhood from teenagers?
During my residency, supported by Mekhong Cultural Hub’s professional exchange program at Rujak Urban Studies Centre in Jakarta, I collaborated on a small project with a young Indonesian artist, Hara, who has a background in anthropology. Hara is also one of the resident artists at Rujak, and his main program is the Sinking Cities project. As someone who has studied urbanism and worked with artists in Myanmar, I am interested in advocating for spatial and urban challenges through creative approaches. When I heard about Hara’s idea of reconnecting the sea with Jakarta’s people, and since I was also interested in learning from young people, we planned a small project before wrapping up our residency. We conducted the project in Kampung Akuarium, where we were staying for our 3-month residency.
So, long story short, there are two parts to this project: a workshop and an exhibition. We first held the workshop to learn from our focus group — the teenagers from Kampung Akuarium in Northern Jakarta — before hosting a small art exhibition to share their stories by presenting insights we learned during the workshop.
Y/Ours Coastal Neighborhood concept note
Given its location on Jakarta Bay, Jakarta, Indonesia is intrinsically connected to water. This connection has made the city’s future a hot topic — Is Jakarta sinking? However, are the residents genuinely aware of this issue? Have they experienced Jakarta’s coastline firsthand? The artist aims to reconnect the people of Jakarta with their waterfront.
Do we ever truly listen to the voices of teenagers when discussing climate change, cultural heritage, or global issues?
Before proceeding, we discovered that the ICOMOS framework is not inclusive and lacks youth involvement and participation in coastal heritage conservation. Therefore, we sought to collaborate with teenagers from Kampung Akuarium to explore the coastal area and its heritage. Subsequently, other city dwellers would have the opportunity to view some of Jakarta’s northern coastal neighborhoods through the lens of these teenagers. The exhibition will transform “Yours Coastal Neighborhood” into “Ours” for the spectators.
We believe that representing environmental and social issues through artistic works should be accessible to the general public. Since the entire activity took place in Kampung Akuarium, the participants, community members, and other young people could easily become curious about the process and creation. The Akuarium community space served as the exhibition venue, allowing neighborhood residents to view works about their community without the need to travel. Additionally, others unfamiliar with the northern neighborhoods would have the chance to explore and learn.
Due to time constraints, we could only invite participants from Akuarium and some of their friends from other kampungs. Before inviting the teenage participants, we engaged with the community members to inform them about the activities. We wanted to invite the teenagers directly, with their acknowledgment and consent, without enforcing their participation through their guardians. At that time, I was still planning the details of the activities. A leader of a community group (called koperasi in Indonesian) suggested that, since I don’t speak Indonesian and communicate in English and Burmese, it would be helpful for the children to learn English through these activities. So, I came up with the idea of using flashcards, which we later combined with mapping, a neighborhood tour bingo, and photovoice to gain insights from the teenagers. Nine to twelve teenagers participated over the two days of the workshop.
A Vocabulary Game with Flashcards
Since we wanted to study the teenagers’ experiences, we did not mention climate change, flooding, or other issues we were already aware of. We started with a game activity that could either relate to their coastal environment or serve as a fun vocabulary competition. We pre-designed a bundle of 30 flashcards, each illustrating a picture. Then we separated the teenagers into two groups with an icebreaker game and gave each group 15 random cards.
First, they had to write down a word they thought best described the picture on their card. Then, we provided them with small slips of paper containing the English vocabulary answers to match with their cards. They were not allowed to search online but could ask the volunteer facilitator for help. Most of them used their own knowledge and helped each other to find the correct answers.
After they matched the cards, I asked them about each one. They told me the answers in Indonesian, and I provided the correct word in English. Hara and the volunteers translated between us, and we randomly asked quick questions about the pictures on the flashcards: if they had seen them before, how they knew the word, etc. To motivate them, we gave out star reward stickers for correct answers, and the teenagers said they had a lot of fun during the activity.
Quick Mapping: Share with Us About Your Neighborhood
After the vocabulary game, we moved on to a quick mapping session. We used two printed maps: one focused on the Kampung Akuarium neighborhood and a larger one covering the northern coastal area. The maps were generated from Google Maps in satellite view, and we doubted the participants would be able to read them since there were no labels or legends. But as soon as we laid the maps on the floor, they immediately responded, pointing out locations like Kampung Akuarium and the Maritime Museum.
We asked them to do a quick mapping of their neighborhood on the first map by creating their own legends. Although the volunteer facilitators helped them, the teenagers also came up with their own understanding and presented their daily routes and activities. From their mapping, we learned about aspects of their daily lives in the coastal neighborhood that we hadn’t known before or noticed, such as their parents’ livelihoods.
Next, we used the larger map of North Jakarta’s coastal area. Since Hara intended to use the flashcards as part of his artwork, we brought back the cards and some photos he had taken in the coastal neighborhood before the workshop. The participants placed the cards and pictures on the map, and we engaged in casual conversations about why they placed certain cards in specific locations, discussing how those places were relevant to them. For instance, they placed the mussel farming cards near the sea and an Indonesian rigging ship near the ports because they often saw them there.
It turned into an unexpectedly great focus group discussion. We learned a lot from them without using pre-defined questions. Since the flashcards didn’t capture everything, we asked the teenagers what they would add. One girl mentioned a park, jogging trail, or playground. We discovered through her mapping that she regularly went to Jokowi Park, which is not within walking distance from Kampung because there are no parks or jogging trails nearby, despite the availability of spacious open areas. Some of the teenagers also shared memories of their former kampung, which had been evicted, marking where their houses used to be and where they had played before the eviction.
Neighborhood Tour BINGO and Photovoice
At the end of the mapping session on the first day, we asked the participants to show us their neighborhood and take pictures of the mapped places they wanted to highlight. One group chose a route near the Maritime Museum and Luar Batang, both neighborhoods adjacent to Kampung Akuarium. The following morning, we went on a neighborhood walk for over an hour. During the walk, we gave them a small mission called “Our Neighborhood Bingo.”
In this mission, they had to search for items on the Bingo Card and take pictures. The items on the cards were related to the flashcards. Since they were familiar with their neighborhood, they quickly found the items and took us to the places where they could be seen, including plants, animals, livelihoods, shelters, public spaces, daily activities, heritage sites, and rituals. After we returned, we checked the Bingo cards and the photos they took. Once again, we gave out the reward star stickers, which they enjoyed, especially when they got a Bingo.
During the photo review, Hara talked with the teenagers to learn more about their neighborhood experiences through the pictures in a photovoice session. This session provided valuable insights, as the photos captured more than just the Bingo mission — they also expressed the teenagers’ perspectives on their neighborhood. For example, some boys brought a picture of a drainage area for water animals for the Bingo slot, but no animals were visible in the photo. They explained that small crabs were sometimes found there. We asked the other participants if they agreed, encouraging them to add their experiences to decide if the photo was a correct answer. I also added a vacant slot on the Bingo card for any important neighborhood experience we hadn’t considered, which gave the teenagers a chance to contribute something new. There were many more interesting stories and experiences shared through the Bingo photos, but I’ll stop here, as these insights will inspire Hara’s artwork.
The workshop concluded by revisiting the large map, where we asked the participants if they wanted to change the placement of any of the previous flashcards or photos. Hara then asked them to select one card that they liked or found appealing, and to explain why they chose it.
My Inspiration and Motivation
From this workshop, I learned that game activities are highly effective tools for engaging with young people, especially Generation Z. Additionally, most teenagers today have smartphones, which makes it easy to apply storytelling techniques. When we first invited the participants, I asked whether they preferred taking pictures, drawing, or writing, and they said they preferred taking pictures. Therefore, from this workshop, I not only gained insight into the experiences of teenagers living in the city’s coastal area but also learned how to engage with young people effectively in future community work, whether it is about art or urbanism.
Last but not least, I learned that cultural heritage isn’t just about historical landmarks or traditions — it’s also about the memories we create and the contemporary lives we lead in our neighborhoods. These everyday experiences are a vital part of our cultural heritage and should be embraced and preserved as well.
