'What causes matter most to you?'<\/p>\n
Monique Natalia, Contributor, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Who says that young people are not concerned about what is
\nhappening around them. We asked some young people in Jakarta
\nabout the causes that they care most about, and what are they
\ndoing to support them.<\/p>\n
Anantya, 21, South Jakarta: I really care about environmental
\ncauses, especially those that concern animal rights. Animal
\nrights matter more to me because caring for animals to me is like
\ncaring for my own pets. My affection toward animals is stronger
\nthan to other environmental causes.<\/p>\n
For me it is easier to show my affection to animals than to,
\nsay, trees. With animals I can find out their response to my
\naffection. Their expressions seem more real to me. Maybe it's
\nalso because I have lots of pets. I used to have a dog, and now I
\nhave a few turtles, fish and birds. When I was small I even
\nwanted to be a vet.<\/p>\n
To support my love for animals I like to buy WWF stuff. I buy
\nthem partly because they're cute and also because the profits
\nhelps the animals. I also used to join this activity organized by
\naikon called Gelar Kebon. Every week we would go to Ragunan Zoo
\nto feed the animals and help clean up their cages. I only went
\ntwice, though, because it was very tiring, but it was a lot of
\nfun! I really enjoyed it.<\/p>\n
Another reason why I don't go anymore is that none of my
\nfriends come to this activity and it's kind of hard for me to
\nbreak into a new group all by myself. I think this kind of
\nactivity is good to develop your environmental awareness. This is
\nwhere your love for the environment can start to grow.<\/p>\n
What I really want to do is volunteer at an animal shelter;
\nunfortunately we don't have that kind of place in Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Teto, 19, Bekasi: Right now, my attention mostly is on the all
\nthe floods that have been happening in Jakarta. There have been a
\nlot of people who are suffering because of the floods.
\nFortunately my house didn't get flooded, but I know a lot of
\npeople that are close to me whose houses were flooded. The
\ndangers are very real now.<\/p>\n
I know that I haven't really done anything to help, but I
\nreally wanted to. It actually occurred to my friends and I to
\nhelp collect donations for the flood victims. I don't know why
\nbut we never got around to doing it, but we did manage to collect
\nsome things which we put together with the stuff that the people
\nfrom my school are sending to those flood victims.<\/p>\n
I still want to help out, but I admit until now I still
\nhaven't done anything. The problem with me is that I lack the
\ninitiative, so it would be hard for me if I want to start doing
\nsomething all by myself. I would, gladly help out if someone
\nasked, though.<\/p>\n
Putri, 17, South Jakarta: For me what is really important is
\nthe problem of drugs. It's really too bad to see a lot of young
\npeople waste their lives and time for drugs. There have been a
\nlot of people who have become drug addicts, and most of them at
\nsuch a young age, too. This is really bad. The sad thing is, it
\nis hard to help them. Most of them take drugs to be and to look
\ncool.<\/p>\n
They don't think what they're doing is very wrong and
\ndangerous. The bad thing is most of the time the drugs make them
\nlose all their faith in other people so it would be hard if I
\nwanted to try and help them.<\/p>\n
Still, if any of my friends, or anyone comes to me for help, I
\nwould gladly help them. I would help them as much as I could.
\nMaybe by taking and throwing out drugs that I find on my friends
\nor maybe talk to them about going to a rehabilitation center.<\/p>\n
Sarah, 14, South Jakarta: Drugs and smoking are the two things
\nthat I hate. Lots of people are killed from doing drugs. They use
\nthem just to be cool. In fact two of my really good friends died
\nfrom drug overdoses. It was when I was still in Australia. They
\nwere really young when they died, 13 years old. It was very sad.<\/p>\n
Smoking also kills, you know, plus it smells really bad!<\/p>\n
I would do something by telling people I know not to do it or
\njust help them out by telling them about the bad effects of using
\ndrugs. I would ask the people who are taking drugs why they are
\ndoing it and why do they need to take them. I want to help them
\nrealize that it's really bad.<\/p>\n
Nicolo, 21, South Jakarta: What I really care about are
\nnatural disasters and crisis situations. For all the other
\ncauses, a lot of other people are already doing something about
\nit, like the environment for example, there are all these groups
\nthat try to preserve the environment and protect animal rights
\nand so on.<\/p>\n
So I support causes that involves situational crisis, like the
\nfloods that are happening right here in Jakarta.<\/p>\n
What I mean by situational is that it happens so suddenly that
\nmost people are not ready for it. I can try to help in this kind
\nof situation. When a disaster strikes, you don't have time to sit
\nand think things through like what most people at those social or
\nenvironmental organizations do, you have to do something right
\naway and that's what I like.<\/p>\n
Right now I'm involved in something called the humanitarian
\naid for flood victims organized by my church. But they're not
\nonly doing things for flood victims, we've also done quite a lot
\nin the past. Like in 1998 when there were riots and everything,
\nwe supplied food, medicine, and information for the riot victims.
\nWe also helped out in the flooding at Situbondo. It goes on and
\noff, depending on the situation, which is right now the flood. So
\nthat's what we're doing.<\/p>\n
I care about helping people. Bringing help for people who are
\nin trouble often means putting ourselves into an adventure.
\nThat's what I like. You get to be involved in an adventure and
\nhelp people at the same time.<\/p>\n
David, 16, West Jakarta: The cause that I care about is the
\neducation for children. There are a lot of people my age that do
\nnot have the chance to go to school. This means that they don't
\nhave a chance in getting a better future for themselves. This is
\nreally sad. Unfortunately, there are a lot of these cases going
\non in Indonesia. There are only a few people who can afford a
\ngood education.<\/p>\n
I would like to do something to help if I can, but,
\nunfortunately, I don't have the resources to do that. I'm still a
\nstudent myself. Right now, school takes up most of my time. Maybe
\nwhen I get older, or when I get into college, I will start
\nthinking more about doing something to support my beliefs.<\/p>",
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