One is an ingredient or staple, the other a dish. There are many ways of cooking Nasi Goreng but we would probably all agree that its main component is rice.
In computer systems the analogy would be between “System on Chips (SoC)” (complex integrated chips with a processor) and “Embedded Computer Systems” (electronic product consisting of hard- and software). Just like rice can be used in many different dishes, the SoC appears in different embedded devices.
STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. STEM activities aim to inspire and develop the next generation of scientists and engineers by gathering students together regularly in informal environments to work on inquiry-based, hands-on activities.
Starting from mid-2016, a SEEDS member, who is a native Chinese speaker, starts teaching Chinese courses at UNM. One of the students show increased interest in Chinese culture and, after taking Level 1-3 Mandarin courses, she applied for a teaching job in China and got accepted in Aug 2017. She is now teaching Indonesian language in a private university in China. The Mandarin courses had helped equip her and made her more competitive for this new challenge.
A SEEDS health consultant has been working in this Riau Village for over five years. The process of helping to change attitudes toward acceptance of modern medicine is slow work, and to encourage healthy lifestyle changes is even harder.
Since February 2014, SEEDS workers, in partnership with Yayasan Pendar Pagi Jakarta, have been running a parenting course for parents of children under 5.
This course is an adaptation of both an Indonesian Early Childhood book series for parents, ‘Seri Bacaan Orang Tua’, and a UK Early Learning based program ‘PEEPS’ (now PEEPLE).
A SEEDs worker in West Sumatra who has spent more than five years researching poverty in 25 fishing communities has noticed distinct motivations and opportunities that allow poor families to escape from poverty. In some fishing villages, he has met an atmosphere of distrust, negativity and resignation. In others, groups of fishers trust one another and borrow money; in essence believing that change is possible.
In partnership with SEEDS, local charity Yayasan Pendar Pagi runs a community centre in a densely populated inner-city area. One of the projects coming out of this has been a futsal training program for teenagers and young men that has been growing steadily for three years now. A challenge in poorer communities is a lack of constructive activities for young people to engage with, and many bored youngsters experiment with drugs and get involved in gangs. With constricted living spaces, narrow streets, and no communal facilities, many jump at the opportunity to use a futsal court nearby!
A few years ago the first contacts were made between SEEDS and a health care college. This health care college has a strong focus on community health care. Every year their students need to do an internship in a community that is underdeveloped. They develop a program that can improve the health situation in isolated villages.
Universities in Southeast Asia are under tremendous pressure to network and collaborate at an international level, and the state Islamic University in Riau, Indonesia (UIN SUSKA) is no exception.
Last year new SEEDS workers began a number of small projects focused on Sports and English teaching in southern Thailand. Over the last 6 – 8 months we have been teaching English and running sports programs in local communities, schools and government institutions. We are only at stage 2 of these projects and we desire to grow both projects, but there have been some very interesting developments.