14 August 2025
Syafrijal S.Kom
The University of North Sumatra (USU) held a Community Service (PKM) program through a focus group discussion (FGD) and training titled "Drafting Village Regulations on Household and Small Business Waste Management to Support Community Economic Empowerment in Pakam Village." The FGD took place in the Hall of the Cooperatives, Small, and Medium Enterprises Office of Batu Bara Regency. The research focused on village regulations and community empowerment in Pakam Village, Medang Deras District, Batu Bara. The objectives of this activity were to create community-based waste management, strengthen the capacity of village human resources in waste management, and encourage the creation of new economic activities based on waste utilization (recycling and reuse).
This FGD was attended by the general public and local government, including the Assistant for Economic and Development of the Batu Bara Regency Regional Secretariat (Drs. Bambang Hadi Suprapto, M.Si), Head of the Community and Village Empowerment Service of Batu Bara Regency (Zamzamy Elwadiip), Head of the Fisheries and Animal Husbandry Service of Batu Bara Regency (Represented by Mrs. Narty Chatrine.Situmorang), Head of the Social Service, Women's Empowerment and Child Protection of Batu Bara Regency (Riyadi, S.Pd, M.Pd), Head of the Cooperatives and Small and Medium Enterprises Service of Batu Bara Regency (Dr. Ir. H. Hakim, M.Si), Head of the Legal Section of the Batu Bara Regency Regional Secretariat (Rahmad Sirait, SH), Head of the Government Section of Medang Deras District (Rizal, S.E), Head of Pakam Village, Medang Deras District (Mr. Rajali Pandiangan), and Chair of the TP PKK of Medang Deras District (Mrs. Henny Heridawaty Baharuddin). The total number of participants was 36, including 17 FGD participants and 19 training and development participants.
The community service team consisted of USU lecturers from various study programs, including Dr. Muhammad Arifin Nasution, S.Sos., Wiro Oktavius Ginting, S.Sos., M.Si., Dra. Dara Aisyah, M.Si., Ph.D., and Siti Hazzah Nur. R, S.Sos., M.AP., from the Public Administration study program. Also participating were Dr. Yovita Sabarina Sitepu, S.Sos., M.Si. from the Communication Studies study program and Dr. Onan Marakali Siregar, S.Sos., M.Si. from the Business Administration study program.
Dra. Februati Trimurni, M.Si., Ph.D., the head of the community service team, explained that the initiation of the village regulation drafting and community empowerment program stemmed from community complaints about waste and their assessment of its potential. "The community's complaints about waste reached us (the community service team), and we saw the potential here. Furthermore, I have also done similar community service projects before, so we chose this village," she said in an interview.
Drs. Bambang Hadi Suprapto, M.Si., Assistant for Economic and Development Affairs at the Batu Bara Regency Regional Secretariat, who also delivered remarks and opened the FGD, expressed his hopes for the event. "We hope this activity can make Pakam Village a pioneer for other villages. We also need academic support to identify potential areas and opportunities that can be managed, through a commitment to building synergy with USU," Bambang said in his remarks. The activity received high enthusiasm from the community and training and empowerment participants.
