Rhaka Reading Story Book to Children at Joglo School

Friends Peace Teams opened an Internship at Peace Place for an apprentice teacher.

Muhammad Rhaka Katresna (Rhaka) was awarded the FPT Peace Place internship. In the mornings, he is teaching children in the school with an interest in the children with special needs. This has released Nanik’s time to write how Joglo Preschool is based on the Alternatives to Violence Project, early childhood knowledge, and local language and culture. In the afternoons, Rhaka works with Petrus and others to develop the Peace Place Training Center.

Rhaka recently graduated from the Indonesian Education University (UPI) Bandung, majoring in Clinical Psychology. He is one of the graduates of the 2020 International Peace Training at Peace Place and continues to practice and explore ways to create cultures of peace in his life.

Rhaka is a creative, interactive, and communicative person, who is fluent in English. As a student, he participated in gymnastics, fitness, and martial arts, as well as peace issues, cross-science lectures, and forensic psychology. Ho was also involved in various communities and organizations such as the Indonesian Schizophrenia Care Community (KPSI), the Indonesian Peace School, and (Re)aksi Youth. Rhaka is able to apply psychological first aid, such as mental health peer support, peer counseling, dramaturgy, choreography, and dance for himself and others based on his own personal experience and healing.

Rhaka continues to organize young people including friends from Inti Muda (Core Youth Association), members of the Indonesian Youth Working Group on Peace and Security (KAMI DAMAI/Youth Coalition for Peaceful Indonesia), the founder and administrator at Bestari Keswa Pati, a mental health support community in Pati, and others.

When Rhaka first came to Joglo Preschool, he observed parents with their children. This triggered personal traumas. With the support of Peace Place staff, he was able to use the AVP Creating Cultures of Peace practices previously acquired to channel emotions, vividly recall memories, and voice insights.

In Joglo School, Rhaka :
– Documents activities and behavior of children and parents by taking photos, videos, and notes. Observes behavior and refers to the psychology he studied.
– Reads the CCRC book and other reference books and conveys the results to the teachers, asking about activities with the children that made him curious, and conducting activity trials.
– Offers dance and somatic instruction once a week with the children.

Apart from Joglo School activities, Rhaka collaborates with Petrus to:

  • Manage the Peace Place Pati website.
  • Manage Peace Place Pati’s social media.
  • Add place information on Google Maps and Foursquare.
  • Create a training schedule.
    Make activity posters.
  • Manage training activities.
  • Share good practices with the group.
  • Organize companion groups.
  • Reach out to potential trainees.
  • Facilitate training.

This is the summary of his 3-month internship at Peace Place Pati.

Thank you for the support of Friends Peace Teams so that Peace Place and Joglo activities can expand to more young people and to children with special needs.