Ungaran, (24/05). Ungaran, (May 24) — Community service is one of the ways students can fulfill their role as agents of change. Through the knowledge they gain in college, students are able to apply it in real-world settings, as knowledge should not be confined to one individual but instead spread widely to bring about positive change. In line with this, the Social and Community Department of the Public Administration Student Association HMPS Public Admnistration initiated a program called Publik Goes To Public, which was held on Saturday, May 24, 2025, in Branjang Village, West Ungaran District.
Publik Goes To Public is a community service activity aimed at mapping the potential of the village and strengthening entrepreneurial initiatives, particularly for MSMEs (Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises), while also helping to expand the marketing reach of the local products and resources in Branjang Village. The event not only involved Public Administration students but also actively engaged the local residents, who were the primary actors in the implementation of this program.
Branjang Village was chosen as the location for this community service because it is a thematic entrepreneurship village in West Ungaran District, Semarang Regency, Central Java. Most of its residents run small to medium-sized businesses focused on handicrafts and food processing. However, the development of MSMEs in Branjang faces certain challenges, one of which is a lack of marketing capabilities. To address this issue, Branjang Village requires continuous training and assistance in social media marketing strategies.
Considering this, the Social and Community Department of HMPS Public Admnistration organized the following activities as part of the one-day program: (1) Mapping the village’s potential as a basis for local development planning (2) Social media marketing training to enhance the capacity of MSME actors to promote their products more widely and effectively; (3) Planting banana tree saplings (pisang raja) as part of an environmental preservation campaign and sustainable development initiative.
The outcomes of Publik Goes To Public 2025 brought greater awareness to the residents of Branjang Village. Following the mapping of local potential and the planting of banana saplings, villagers realized how these efforts could be developed into a unique characteristic of Branjang Village. Additionally, the social marketing training delivered by Ms. Nilam Adini Rakhma, M.A.P., a lecturer in Public Administration, helped broaden the participants’ understanding of how to reach wider markets for their MSME products.
In conclusion, this activity was more than just fulfilling the work program of the Social and Community Department of HMPS Public Admnistration —it served as a meaningful form of community service aimed at enhancing social awareness and reinforcing the role of students as true agents of change.
