Programs need to stay relevant to the ever-changing felt needs of a given society.  Understanding the culture that we are serving from a sociological perspective is a crucial element to staying relevant with the actual felt needs of the times. 

Socio- Economic and Education Development within a given context succeeds by employing a meaningful solution that meets actual felt needs of the local people.  When foreigners introduce solutions to a society that are “perceived needs from the perspective of the foreigners” the programs and solutions often miss the mark of the actual felt needs of the society. 

One of the common misapplied felt needs in the Riau Province that Westerners often site as a “problematic” is the perceived problem of littering and overall lack of cleanliness.  When in reality, the local perception of littering as a felt need would rank very low from the mindset of the Melayu people living in the Riau Province.

In order to stay relevant with the projects being offered, SEEDs workers realize that continuing education is necessary to take programs forward. SEEDs is actively promoting this type of growth for its employees by encouraging Masters level studies in Sociology (with a concentration in community growth and development) in one of its project areas, Riau, Indonesia.

Investing in the future by preparing future leaders to take community development goals forward is the main focus of this program. The focus of the research is aimed at how modernity and intercultural interactions among various people groups affects the identity and solidarity of the Malay culture found in the Riau Province. Within the next year, this thesis research will be completed and SEEDs workers will have a better perspective of the real felt needs of different people groups in the Riau province.