In the odd semester of 2024/2025, Communication Science students carried out the Community Service (KKN) with various themes aimed at making a real contribution to society. Some students chose topics that focused on health campaigns, tourism development, and disease prevention. One of them is Rifa Alifa Arumdapta who was placed in Bojong Loa Village, Rancaekek District, Bandung Regency. She runs a program to break the stunting chain through a social media campaign titled “Gerakan Cegah Stunting.” Rifa educates the community about the importance of stunting prevention with creative content on social media. Although it was only the second week of KKN, Rifa also visited Posyandu to monitor the health development of children and the elderly in the village. Rifa shared time with children at the Reading Corner, who enjoyed reading with her.
As a Communication Science student, Rifa found the Cross-cultural Communication and Interpersonal Communication courses very helpful in interacting with the residents. “I adjust the way I speak to the residents, for example using words like ‘punten’ and ‘nuhun’ that are closer to their culture,” she explained. These skills are essential for building closeness and comfort when communicating with local residents.
Cindy Christalia Angela does KKN in Jatigede Sub-district, Sumedang Regency, focusing on the production of promotional media and publication of superior tourism. Together with her group, Cindy conducted research and created promotional content for tourist attractions such as Al-Kamil Mosque, Kujang Tower, Fish Culinary Center, and Cimanuk River. In addition, they planned to create a literacy corner in one of the elementary schools in Jatigede and organize seminars to encourage children’s interest in reading. Cindy revealed that the Digital Media Communication (DMC) and Media Literacy courses helped her a lot in creating interesting and informative content. “The content creation project for Divia TV helped me a lot in creating better promotional content in this KKN,” she said.
Defrio Saka Wahid carried out a Tuberculosis (TB) prevention program in Sagaracipta Village, Ciparay District, Bandung Regency. The program focused on collecting data on risk factors that contribute to TB transmission, such as population density, access to health services, and community living habits. In addition, Defrio also provided education to the community about TB transmission, prevention, and treatment. The knowledge gained from health communication courses and the use of information technology greatly supported the implementation of this program.
These three students showed how communication science can be practically applied in various social contexts. Through social campaigns, tourism promotion, and health education, they provided direct benefits to the community and developed effective communication skills. This service-learning activity taught Communication Science students about the importance of communication in building a society that is more caring and aware of appropriate and relevant information. By utilizing the skills learned in college, students can contribute to solving problems in the field and improving the quality of life of local communities. (Ed)