Kuningan, West Java — Lecturers from the Physics Education Program at UIN Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta, together with students from the 120th KKN (Community Service Program) cohort, carried out a school-based community service program entitled “Kuningan Mengabdi: Harnessing Local Potential to Support Contextual Learning in Schools” at SMP Negeri 1 Ciwaru, Kuningan Regency, West Java, on Wednesday, August 19, 2026.

The program was conducted in collaboration with SMP Negeri 1 Ciwaru to introduce students to the local potential of Ciwaru through a contextual learning approach that integrates concepts from Science (IPA). The activity was warmly welcomed by Adis, S.Pd., M.M., Principal of SMP Negeri 1 Ciwaru, and was accompanied by Maulidah Nur Asyifah, S.Pd., a Science teacher for Grade VIII. The program involved students from Grade VIII Class 8.

The learning activities were designed to be interactive and participatory. Students were encouraged to express their ideas, actively respond to questions, and connect their everyday experiences with local products, cultural heritage, and phenomena to scientific concepts learned at school.

Exploring Science through Local Potential

During the program, the community service team introduced several local potentials from Ciwaru and its surrounding areas, including Kuningan's traditional Opak crackers, Jawadah from Sagaranten, the Buyut Nayawangsa Tomb, and the Batu Arca archaeological site. These local resources were explored not only from cultural and historical perspectives but also through the lens of science. Students were encouraged to identify scientific concepts embedded in their surroundings, including force, pressure, heat transfer, and changes in the properties of matter.

Through this approach, students were invited to recognize the connections between science, culture, history, and everyday life. Cultural and historical sites that may previously have been understood primarily through traditional stories were also explored from a scientific perspective, providing students with opportunities to examine familiar phenomena through new ways of thinking.

Creating Meaningful and Contextual Learning

The activity took place in an active and communicative atmosphere. Students were given opportunities to share their existing knowledge and personal experiences related to the local potential introduced during the session. Interaction among the community service team, teachers, and students became an important part of creating learning experiences that were closely connected to students' everyday lives. This contextual approach is expected to help students develop a more meaningful understanding of science while fostering curiosity, environmental awareness, and appreciation for the natural, historical, and cultural heritage of Ciwaru and its surrounding areas.

The program involved Dr. Ika Kartika, M.Pd.Si., as the field supervisor, along with students from the 120th KKN cohort of UIN Sunan Kalijaga: Adisty Najma Fauzai Rahma, M. Mufid Nur Holis, Syafrul Haddadi, Rini, Intan Qurrotul Aini, and Mohammad Ravi Khafido Agasy. The collaboration between UIN Sunan Kalijaga and SMP Negeri 1 Ciwaru represents a concrete effort to translate local potential into meaningful learning resources. Through Kuningan Mengabdi, local products, cultural heritage, and historical sites are not only introduced as valuable community assets but are also utilized as authentic contexts for science learning and as opportunities for students to develop a deeper appreciation of their local environment.