The Association for Elections and Democracy (Perludem) organized a Training of Trainers (ToT) on Political Education for university students as part of its Democracy Academy program, aimed at strengthening democratic understanding and participatory skills among young people.
Jakarta, 1 July 2026 – Continuing the first cohort for high school students, the Association for Elections and Democracy (Perludem) held a Training of Trainers (ToT) on Political Education for University Students at Cityloog Hotel, Tebet, Jakarta, on 1-2 July 2026. This ToT marks the second cohort of the Democracy Academy series, to be followed by a third cohort for school teachers.
The training brought together 20 university students, carried out in line with the principles of gender equality, disability, and social inclusion (GEDSI) and equal participation for all participants. Unlike the pedagogical approach used for high school students, sessions for university students were designed around an andragogical approach, giving participants more room to discuss and connect democratic concepts to the socio-political realities they encounter daily.
That discussion space revealed a fairly strong critical streak among participants. Pre-session discussions showed that most students rated the current state of Indonesian democracy as poor, while a number of others expressed doubt over whether democracy remains the best political system. This attitude became a live topic of discussion throughout the four core modules, with post-tests at the end of each session showing that participants’ understanding of the material remained consistently strong.
A group presents the political party they created as part of a simulation in the Democratic Actors module.
The second day was devoted to mock-teaching practice, in which participants were divided into groups to deliver the material to one another as trainers. Each group’s performance was assessed directly by the facilitators, with overall results falling in the good category. Several groups stood out for their command of the material and facilitation skills, while others still needed to strengthen the distribution of roles among members.
The final evaluation showed that most participants rated the substance of the material, the facilitators’ delivery, and the learning materials as good and adequate, alongside suggestions concerning a more even distribution of participation among group members during the mock-teaching session. These evaluation results will inform the refinement of the next ToT cohort for school teachers.
The critical outlook that emerged throughout the training also shaped the follow-up plans Perludem is offering participants: a scholarship scheme for graduates to implement what they have learned, and an invitation to write popular opinion pieces that channel their concerns and ideas into constructive writing. These pieces will be published through Rumah Pemilu and compiled together with work from the high school student and teacher cohorts into an anthology.
This set of follow-up activities affirms university students’ role as agents of change who turn criticism of democracy into real participation, further extending the impact of Perludem’s Democracy Academy to the grassroots level.
M. Iqbal Kholidin
Researcher at the Association for Elections and Democracy (Perludem)
