ACADEMIC ARTICLE: ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING AS A MEANS OF EMPOWERING RURAL CHILDREN AND STRENGTHENING GOTONG ROYONG VALUES IN SUKANDEBI VILLAGE

Abstrak

strengthen the local tradition of working together as a community. The team used several different activities to achieve these goals. First, they taught English classes at the elementary school during the day. Then in the afternoons, they offered special tutoring sessions for students who needed extra help. Along with the English lessons, the program also included religious activities, community clean-up projects where everyone worked together (called "gotong royong"), and fun exercise sessions to promote health. The results of this program were very positive. About 85% of the children became more interested and active in learning English. Nearly all of the village adults (90%) participated in the community work projects. People in the village also started to understand more about why education is important and how keeping their environment clean can benefit everyone. This project showed that when college students, local villagers, and village leaders cooperate and work as a team, they can create good changes that last for a long time. The success of this program proves that combining education with local traditions can be an effective way to help rural communities develop while still keeping their important cultural values.