Muhammadiyah and 'Aisyiyah Universities Empower Elderly Through Creative Economy Literacy
The Faculty of Economics and Business (FEB) at Universitas Muhammadiyah Jakarta (UMJ), in collaboration with the Association of Management Study Programmes of Muhammadiyah and ’Aisyiyah Higher Education Institutions (APSMA PTMA), held a National Community Service event in Rempoa Urban Village, East Ciputat District, South Tangerang, on Thursday (6/8/2026).
The activity is an implementation of the Tridharma of Higher Education, particularly in the field of community service, through empowering elderly residents to remain productive and independent by developing the creative economy.
The series of activities was welcomed by the Head of Rempoa Urban Village, East Ciputat, Hendra Pratama. He said that this activity has a significant impact on the development of residents in his area, especially the Elderly Post Group, with the aim of improving health status, independence, and quality of life so that they remain active and productive through activities in the craft sub-sector.
The Chair of the Association of Management Study Programmes of Muhammadiyah and ’Aisyiyah Higher Education Institutions (APSMA PTMA), Dr Nasrullah, SE, delivered material on the importance of fostering an entrepreneurial spirit as a provision for facing economic challenges.
He emphasised that this activity is a form of implementing the Tridharma of Higher Education that must be realised through tangible contributions to society.
“Through this community service activity, we are implementing one of the pillars of the Tridharma of Higher Education, namely community service. The knowledge possessed by higher education institutions must not stop in the classroom, but must be present to provide real benefits to society. We hope this activity can open the community’s perspective, especially the elderly, so that they become more confident in developing their creative economic potential,” he said in a statement on Monday (10/8/2026).
In line with this, the Chair of the National Community Service Implementation, Dr. Diana Hasan, SE, MM, hopes that this activity can be a first step in building an entrepreneurial spirit among the Elderly Post of East Ciputat.
“We hope this activity not only provides entrepreneurship literacy, but also motivates the elderly to remain active, productive, and confident in developing their skills. The spirit of learning and creating knows no age limit, so through this activity it is hoped that more creative business actors will emerge from the community,” she said.
Several materials were delivered by PTMA academics, including material on entrepreneurship for the Elderly Community delivered by Dr Diana Hasan, SE, MM.
In her presentation, Diana emphasised the importance of building an entrepreneurial mindset as a provision for creating economic independence.
According to her, every individual, including the elderly, has the opportunity to remain productive by utilising their creativity, experience, and potential.
The activity then continued with a session demonstrating product making and sharing entrepreneurial experiences by creative economy actors of craft products.
Through this agenda, creative economy actors introduced the creative businesses they developed by utilising plastic waste into various craft products with economic value, one of which is a miniature ondel-ondel as an icon of Betawi culture.
In this session, participants were given knowledge about the product-making process as well as the story of the business journey they pioneered until they were able to produce products with selling value.
Through this demonstration, participants were invited to understand that plastic waste, which is often considered rubbish, can be processed into creative products with high economic value if managed with creativity, innovation, and perseverance.
This session is expected to inspire the elderly to see business opportunities from the potential around them while fostering environmental awareness through waste reuse.
Through this activity, FEB UMJ together with APSMA PTMA hope that collaboration between Muhammadiyah and ’Aisyiyah higher education institutions can continue to be strengthened in presenting innovative, sustainable community service programmes that have a positive impact on society.
This National Community Service is expected to be a concrete step in supporting community empowerment through entrepreneurship literacy and the development of a creative economy based on local potential.
This community service activity was attended by lecturers and students from various Muhammadiyah and ’Aisyiyah higher education institutions, including Universitas Muhammadiyah Riau, Universitas Muhammadiyah Prof. Dr. Hamka (Jakarta), Universitas Muhammadiyah Cileungsi, Universitas Muhammadiyah Makassar, Institut Teknologi dan Bisnis Ahmad Dahlan, Universitas Muhammadiyah Palu, Universitas Pendidikan Muhammadiyah Sorong, Universitas Muhammadiyah Manado, Universitas Muhammadiyah Malang, Universitas Muhammadiyah Kendari, Universitas Muhammadiyah Metro, Universitas ’Aisyiyah Yogyakarta, Universitas Muhammadiyah Kalianda, Universitas Muhammadiyah PKU Surakarta, and Universitas Muhammadiyah Kupang.
This collaboration is a manifestation of synergy among Muhammadiyah and ’Aisyiyah higher education institutions in presenting community service programmes that provide real benefits to society.