On Monday, 3rd June 2024, students of Psychological Intervention course embarked on a field study to Lembaga Pembinaan Khusus Anak (LPKA) Klas II Yogyakarta, an institution in Yogyakarta that aims to help children juveniles aged 14-18 on behavior improvement before returning to the society. The whole class, which consisted of 45 students in total, were expected to observe and conduct several interviews with stakeholders and children of the LPKA for their field study report.
Upon arriving at the place, the students gathered at the main hall where they sat side by side with children of LPKA, or more well-known as ‘anak binaan’. As it was midday, the students and anak binaan were divided into 8 different groups where they sat in circles to have their lunch together. The students were encouraged to explore more on the daily activities of the anak binaan and how being in LPKA has helped them on behavior improvement.
Afterwards, the LPKA stakeholders led a tour around the LPKA for the students and explained how each existing place plays a role in the behavior improvement of anak binaan. One of the examples is omah konseling, a place where parents of anak binaan would stay for a few days with their children upon their days of departure from LPKA. During those few days, a counselor would be present to help settle things between the parents and the anak binaan to make sure that both parties are ready to face the real world together again.
When asked for a testimony on the field study, Fairuz Haya, one of the students of IUP Psychology Batch 2021 said, “The trip to LPKA exceeded my expectations. At first, I thought the LPKA would be like a prison to the children involved, but as I have seen directly, the guards there have a great growth mindset because they see the children as valuable national assets that need to be protected and its rights fulfilled. The field study certainly broadened my perspective in life.”.
Author: Nabila