Students Pitch Village Empowerment Ideas at Genera-Z Berbakti 2026 Final

Competition at the Genera-Z Berbakti 2026 final intensified as eight student teams from various Indonesian universities presented their best ideas in a call for proposal programme organised by Bakti BCA, offering diverse innovative solutions for tourism village development. Bakti BCA Ambassador and panellist Nicholas Saputra assessed that the finalists were able to deliver creative ideas while presenting them in an engaging manner. He noted that several participants even utilised props to clarify the concept of the programmes to be implemented in the target villages. “The various ideas and presentation styles of the Genera-Z Berbakti 2026 finalists were quite interesting. For me, this sparked curiosity about how the proposed programmes will be implemented in the field. We, the panellists, are confident that all Genera-Z Berbakti finalists can carry out their plans on location as long as they maintain consistency and adapt to the conditions encountered in the target villages,” said Nicholas, quoted from an official statement on Monday (13/7). One session that captured attention pitted the Universitas Airlangga (UNAIR) team against the Universitas Cenderawasih team. Although both raised the theme of women’s empowerment as a driving force for village development, the two teams offered different approaches and strategies. Behind their performances, the finalists admitted to facing challenges when presenting their ideas before the panel of judges. Eli, a member of the Lestari team from Universitas Cendrawasih, admitted she momentarily lost concentration due to nervousness during the presentation. “During the presentation, I paused because I was very nervous. I eventually calmed myself down first, then continued the presentation,” she said. A similar experience was felt by Sam from the Amerta Pertiwi UNAIR team. He admitted he had difficulty answering a question from one of the panellists, Cinta Laura. “When Cinta Laura asked a question, I found it really difficult to manoeuvre the answer towards something simpler,” he said. Meanwhile, scientist and social entrepreneur Tri Mumpuni, who also served as a panellist, explained that the assessment did not only focus on the quality of the idea, but also on the extent to which the idea was realistic for implementation in the community. “Students must be able to formulate ways to respond to social issues into concrete activities that can be implemented at the village level. They deserve to be called a generation with both intellectual ability and empathy if they can fulfil this,” said Tri Mumpuni. Four of the eight finalists will later have the opportunity to realise their proposals in four tourism villages fostered by Bakti BCA, namely Desa Wisata Kreatif Terong in Belitung Regency, Desa Wisata Situs Gunung Padang in Cianjur Regency, Desa Wisata Patakbanteng in Wonosobo Regency, and Desa Wisata Kakaskasen Dua in Tomohon City. Executive Vice President of Corporate Communication & Social Responsibility at BCA, Hera F. Haryn, said the enthusiasm shown by the finalists is proof that the younger generation has both concern and courage to bring about change in society. “We are very impressed by the spirit and effort shown by the finalists. This proves that the younger generation is not only capable of critical thinking, but also has a great concern to step in and make a real impact. We hope this spirit continues to grow and brings about sustainable change,” said Hera.