On 5 March 1985, YPR was established as a foundation by the group of architects who previously were more intensely involved with Romo Mangun to do empowerment in the Code community, in Ledok Gondolayu. YPR becomes an actualization media for a set of people from multi-disciplines and professions include architects, social workers, intellectuals, religious leaders, writers and artists who are committed to dedicating their expertise to develop the human development through to the real work for the grassroots communities.
Inspired by the gentrification of the kampong urban slums in the 1980s and the idealism to create social order and more equitable and sustainable urban environment, YPR began taking his work with a focus on community to those who are weak and marginalized. YPR chose urban kampong community. The first monumental project is the regulation in slums area, which is inhabited by the homeless and the poor under the bridge Gondolayu, Yogyakarta. The works of Romo Mangun with his colleagues in the Code Community is compiled and written by Darwis Khudori (2002) with the title: “Menuju Kampung Pemerdekaan: Membangun Masyarakat Sipil dari Akar-akarnya, Belajar dari Romo Mangun di Pinggir Kali Code” (or “Towards a Kampong of Liberation: Building Civil Society from Its Roots, Learning from Father Mangun on the Code Riverbank”)
Since 1989, because of the repressive political conditions, YPR was not active for a while. In 1997, YPR re-launched its activities, driven by its activists in developing the program of “Generating Income” to respond to the economic crisis in that time. Began in 2000, YPR had actively returned to work for the empowerment of civil society by taking the focus on marginalized urban communities. Since that time, the YPR works through various research activities and publication documentation urban kampongs through community empowerment and development of information systems, community organizations, and increase the community involvement in the process of making public policy.
The concrete involvement in the community has become its spirit in the process of learning and working together. Since 2003, YPR has worked with 6 urban kampongs with its spirit: partisipatory action research methodology. Driven by the young activists, YPR in last ten years has done the empowerment and critical education based on the socio-cultural and socio-spatial approaches. The program activities are including:
1) Internship Kampong program, which is a program in empowering and organizing community through alternative learning studio activities in the kampong, developing the media community (Kampong Bulletin), and the development of public spaces.2) Advocacy and research activities, which is conducting the research and advocacy activities in urban communities. 3) Library and urban documentation, which is developing a database of information about the kampong and urban library services.
Results of Events
Through several activities that concerns the development of the kampongs, YPR has produced publication products in various forms that contained the theme/issue of the of the kampong and city, the history of the urban kampong, the empowerment of the marginalized urban communities. YPR also develops inter-institutional networking with universities, government agencies, and NGOs, and involved in the various activities, workshops, and meetings at the international network. One of the important points of YPR activities is when Pemkot Yogyakarta inspired to develop the kampong-based policies as the impact of contact and intensive dialogue with the kampong community such as: 1) the kampong-based Economic Policy (2007), policy on the public spaces development for the urban kampong communities (2007 - present), and the development of RW-based library (2008).
Publishing:
1. Monthly bilingual media “Exploring-YOGYA” (Indonesian-English), February 2000-April 2002
2. Bimonthly “Warta Kampong” (Kmpong News), July 2000-February 2003
3. Handbook of Code Civil Development : “Menuju Kampung Pemerdekaan: Membangun Masyarakat Sipil dari Akar-akarnya. Belajar dari Romo Mangun di Pinggir Kali Code (Towards a Kampong of Liberation: Building Civil Society from Its Roots, Learning from Father Mangun on the Code Riverbank), April 2002
4. A reflection of values booklet “The Altruism of Romo Mangun: The Seed, The Growth, The Fruits”, April 2002
5. A novel “Kali Code: Pesan-Pesan Api” (Kali Code: The Messages of Fire), by Mustofa W Hasyim, January 2005
6. “Rethinking Solidarity in A Global Society: The Challenge of Globalization for Social and Solidarity Movements” (ed. Darwis Khudori, in cooperation with KOMPAS media publishing), April 2005
7. Kampong’s Bulletin cooperated with 4 kampongs community inYogyakarta, 2003-2006; Badran (1 edition), Kricak (2 edition), Sidomulyo (1 edition), Tungkak (3 edition)
8. Library Bulletin “The Media”, 2005 - 2008
9. City Journal “Kampong”, June 2004 - present
10. “The Hidden Meanings of the Code Kampong: ‘Non-housing’ and ‘Housing Movement’ in a Community-based Urban Development, Yogyakarta, Indonesia by Darwis Khudori, April 2009.
Seminar and discussion:
1. A Book Reviews, August 2000, June 2001, April 2002, February 2005
2. Series of Public Lecturer, July-August 2001
3. Urban Workshop, February 2002
4. Periodical Discussions, April 2003, July 2003, March 2004, June 2004, November 2004, February 2005, in cooperation with the Faculty of Cultural Sciences, University of Gajah Mada, Universitas Kristen Duta Wacana Atmajaya and Sociology Department
5. Urban Discussion Series, February 2005-February 2006, in cooperation with the Municipality of Yogyakarta, and the Department of Sociology Atmajaya
6. Discussions Series “Jogja Reality” in eltiRA FM Radio, Yogyakarta, February 2006, in cooperation with the Tembi Foundation, Kompas, Department of Sociology Atmajaya, IRE, and eltiRA.
Researches:
1. A Research on the Kampong History, March 2003-August 2003
2. A Research on Spatial Citizenship, April 2004-January 2005
3. A Research on Kampong Information System, January-June 2004
4. A Monograph Research in Kampongs: Bumen, Kotagede and Purbayan, July-August 2009
Co-operations with the Universities
1. Implementation Program KKN Alternative English Literature Department, Faculty of Letters, University of Sanata Dharma, May-June 2004, November 2004 - January 2005, May - June 2005 - Until now.
2. Government Department of Science, Faculty of Social and Political Sciences (FISIPOL) Gadjah Mada University (UGM), Yogyakarta, November-December 2005
Participation in international events
1. International Workshop “Spirituality and Globalization”, Yogyakarta, July 2002
2. World Social Forum III, Porto Alegre - Brazil, January 2002
3. International workshop “of the Global Education-Alternative”, Colombo - Sri Lanka, June-July 2002
4. International workshop LOCOA (Local Leaders and Community Organizing in Asia), Bali, June 2003
5. International workshop “Asian People’s Dialogue II”, Jakarta, September 2003
6. World Social Forum V, Porto Alegre - Brazil, January 2005
7. International Conference “Bandung 2005: Rethinking Solidarity in Global Society”, as the 50 Year Commemoration Asia-Africa Conference 1955 Bandung, Yogyakarta, April 2005
8. Asia Europe People Forum, Helsinki, Finland, September 2006
9. 55 Bandung 55: Rethinking Solidarity inGlobal Society “, as the 55th Year Commemoration of Asia-Africa Conference 1955 Bandung, Yogyakarta, April 2009
10. Youth Encounter in India in the Context of today’s Crises, May 2009
Supporting institutions
YPR during the last ten years received support from the institutions concerned with the struggle of humanity and human rights for the development of the community such as CCFD (Centre le Faim et pour le Developpement) of France since 1997 for various activities that focus on the development of the identity of the kampong community. In 2007, YPR was supported by TIFA Foudation in a program “Telling The Truth” through the publication and launching of poetry collection of a prominent writer, Ex-Buru Island prisoner, Hersri Setiawan called “Listening Indonesia.” In the same year, YPR also works with the GTZ-GLG as a partner in the local Community Action Planning Program (CAP) in three kampongs hit by the earthquake, Karanganyar, Bumen and Pandeyan.
