Semarang, 21 June 2025 — Students from the UNDIP Community Service Program (KKN) Team 59 IDBU conducted a social empowerment program for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in RW 05 and RW 06 of Rowosari Village, Tembalang District, Semarang City. This activity is part of the students’ efforts to empower the community through enhanced social capacity and community networking.
Held at the residence of the RW 05 Chairman, the event was attended by local SME operators, RW/RT Chairmen, and community leaders. The event opened with a welcome address by RW 05 Chairman, Mrs. Ely, who emphasized the importance of solidarity and collaboration among SME operators in developing local businesses.
The program focuses on empowering SME operators through community education, group discussions, and the establishment of an SME communication forum across RW units. In addition to social education, the event also resulted in the initial commitment to form an SME forum for RW 05 and RW 06 as a shared communication space. This forum is expected to serve as a collaborative platform for SME operators to share information, business opportunities, and production cooperation.
This activity is part of the community service program under the “Science and Technology for Undip’s Model Villages” scheme (IDBU), led by Prof. Dr. Widowati, S.Si., M.Si., along with members Prof. Dr. Titik Ekowati, M.Sc., Dr. Susilo Hariyanto, S.Si., M.Si., and Satriyo Adhy, S.Si., M.T. The program involves 47 students from various faculties in the implementation of the Thematic Community Service Program (KKN-T) with the theme “Improving the Quality, Productivity, and Competitiveness of SME Products through Digital Transformation.”
Fina Idamatussilmi, a student from the Library and Information Science Program, as the presenter, discussed the importance of information literacy in SME development. Participants were guided to understand how information can be used to analyze market trends, identify customer needs, and design data-driven innovation strategies, such as product development, packaging, and more targeted pricing.
Additionally, participants were provided with insights into the importance of digital literacy in navigating information dissemination in the internet age. The topic of misinformation was a key focus, given its potential social and economic impacts. Participants were introduced to common characteristics of misinformation, methods for verifying information through websites like cekfakta.com, and the importance of maintaining ethical standards when sharing information on social media.
With an approach that is easy to understand and relevant for SME practitioners, this activity is expected to enhance public awareness of the importance of accurate and ethical information as a foundation for business decision-making and daily digital life.
