Teacher’s Spotlight: Ms.Vivi Trenggono – Growing Hand in Hand to Serve the Nation through BINUS SCHOOL Simprug HOPE Club

Growing Hand in Hand to Serve the Nation through BINUS SCHOOL Simprug HOPE Club

Being a teacher is not just about teaching. Teachers are also expected to bring their students out into the world. This is what I have experienced as the supervisor of BINUS HOPE Club. My name is Vivi Trenggono. “Ms. Vivi” that’s what they called me, not only my students in BINUS SCHOOL Simprug but also people in the communities that HOPE club has been serving. I teach Indonesian language to Gr. 11 and 12 students on a daily basis, but outside of that, I involve students in learning from life through activities in the HOPE club, especially in the Saturday Academy program.

Working with HOPE worldwide Indonesia started in 2006. At that time, we helped the earthquake victims in Yogyakarta through donation drives. After that, HOPE worldwide brought me closer to communities in need. Together with some of our students, we visited underprivilege communities in Jakarta and around Jakarta, raised funds to support the people to have a decent life, from building sanitary facilities, conducting free medical check-ups and sharing our knowledge to the kids we met in the communities.

At that time, our activities were under the CAS Service Club. However, in 2015, we established BINUS HOPE Club with the initial program of community visits. Once a month, a group of BINUS SCHOOL Simprug students visited children in different communities to witness various realities of life. From children in fishing villages like Cilincing to children in the densely populated Mangga Dua community. In 2017, we were challenged to adopt a community in Rusun Pesakih, Cengkareng, West Jakarta. The main concern for the students was whether they could commit to spending their Saturday mornings teaching the children in Rusun who participated in the Saturday Academy program. With determination and a willingness to take risks, BINUS HOPE Club decided to adopt that community.

The next challenge was leadership. To ensure the continuity of this club, there had to be someone leading it and ensuring that it would be passed on to others. We applied the principles of servant leadership. If you want to be a leader, be a servant. In this club, the leaders do not seek popularity. Each leader is trained to have the sensitivity to serve those in need. The main requirement is to have a heart to serve and a teachable heart. A teachable heart shows humility and a willingness to keep learning, in order to serve better and provide the best for the community, especially the children we serve.

Is it easy to maintain the sustainability of HOPE Club? Certainly not. But one thing I always remind the students in this club is that with good intentions, there is always a way. In other words, we will always be able to find people to help other people in need. What makes me proud of the students in this club, especially the leaders, is that they are trained to face unexpected situations, and their collaboration and teamwork skills constantly improve. From not knowing each other, they always end up becoming friends who support one another. From being shy, they become active and courageous to speak in public, at least in communicating with the children they serve. And most importantly, friendship always develops between BINUS SCHOOL Simprug students and the children in the communities.

So, HOPE Club has become a place where children can develop their personalities while making an impact on society. I am proud of the leaders from the 2023 batch who tirelessly served children through Zoom during the pandemic, meeting children from communities throughout Nusantara, and collaborating with volunteers from Singapore. Whether onsite or online, they are always ready to face changes and become agents of change.

I am also proud of the 2025 batch who will continue the leadership of BINUS HOPE Club. They are willing to travel long distances to meet the children in Rusun Pesakih every Saturday. The joy and happiness they experience are also shared with their friends by inviting them to join events like Story Telling Indonesia, serving 120 children in the Rusun Pesakih community on May 13, 2023.  I am optimistic that these new leaders will continue to bring positive changes to our nation. Bringing hopes, changing lives!