91Èȱ¬

• Our office: Jakarta
• Our areas of focus: Climate change, youth empowerment, sustainable development, health
• Our partners: Norwegian Agency for Development Corporation (NORAD), H2H (back-funded by DFID)

About our work

Established in 2019, 91Èȱ¬ Media Action Indonesia is our newest country office, staffed by a diverse and youthful team delivering our most ambitious climate project to date.

Climate change and environmental degradation are critical issues for Indonesia’s future. But while young people around the world are demanding climate action from their leaders, our research has found that Indonesia’s largely urban youth population feel disconnected from forests and deforestation, and don’t know how they can get involved to ensure more sustainable development.

Building on our previous climate adaptation work in Asia, and the learning from our landmark Climate Asia research study, we developed Kembali Ke Hutan (‘Return to the Forest’). A ‘digital first’ project, we’re creating high-quality digital and TV content – including an eye-catching social media brand – to help spark a generation of Indonesians to actively engage their leaders on issues of sustainable development. To ensure our content resonates, we’ve conducted extensive research (via AI and traditional methods) to tap into this audience’s existing climate knowledge, feelings, and concerns – be they ‘quiet heroes’, ‘regular consumers' or ‘loud and proud crusaders’ - effective communication about climate change is crucial!

Our work has expanded to include not only urban youth but also youth from rural and indigenous communities. By facilitating discussion clubs and creating space for people to ask questions, communication becomes a meaningful tool. It provides indigenous communities with information tailored to their specific needs, empowering their capacity to bring about change. This approach also helps build confidence within these communities, fostering social cohesion and contributing to the enhancement of their economy.

We have also delivered training to local journalists, government representatives and Red Cross staff on Lifeline communication in emergencies – preparing them to provide practical, accessible and timely information.

In response to the challenge posed by digital disruption, our goal is to empower local media to adapt and thrive in this evolving landscape, ensuring they can better serve their audience with high-quality information. We aim to develop an environment where accurate and credible information plays a vital role in sustaining a democratic society.