Balangan inspiring couple to represent S Kalimantan at national level

Paringin, S Kalimantan (ANTARA) - A husband and wife Ahmad Juliansyah and Arpah Sari Dewi from Muara Ninian Village, Juai Sub-district, Balangan, were elected to represent South Kalimantan at the national level after outperforming tens of other couples at the provincial level in the 2021 Inspiring and Outstanding Young Couple selection held by the South Kalimantan Youth and Sports Office.

Juliansyah said he was trying to lift the real program he has been built, namely character education as an effort toward building Indonesia's golden generation.

"The program we offer is building character education. Why? Because the fall of the character of the current education generation is because they are in crisis," he said when contacted by ANTARA via WhatsApp, Sunday.

His program has actually been running since 2017, and the idea started with silat practice.

Many parents think silat practice is a violent exercise. Whereas it teaches not violence, but building character.

“To make parents more confident in getting their children to silat exercise, we created a program of loving Al-Qur’an. The activities are tahfiz (memorizing) and the art of reciting Al-Qur’an,” he told.

One of the juries, Muhammad Syaripuddin revealed why he chose a young couple from Balangan to be the first winner because he saw various aspects of what the couple did.

“Here, we judge not only innovation, creative idea, and it social impact, but also a collaboration between partners. This is very good, they support and complement each other,” said Syaripuddin who is Deputy Chairman of South Kalimantan DPRD.

The couple, he said, taught character education. The program was polarized with expertise as an athlete. Moreover, they both are silat martial arts athletes.

Syaripuddin hopes that this young couple can be an inspiration for change in the region to invite other youth to have ideas in developing youth.