#Ini Cerita Kita – This is Our Story# is a continuation of the project phase I. The objective of this project is to improve opportunities for deaf young people to work by strengthening deaf young people capacity, encouraging the commitment of government, and raising public awareness to the issue of deaf people employment. This project is a collaboration between Pamflet, Gerkatin Kepemudaan (Indonesia Deaf Youth Movement for Welfare), and Sedap Films with technical advice from the International Labor Organisation. They collaboratively conduct activities in an effort to contribute to solving the unemployment problem among people with disabilities, especially deaf young people. The methods they adopt are: (1) Strengthening deaf young people capacity about their rights at work through a workshop; (2) Documentary film production which tells a success story of deaf young people who work; (3) Film screening to raise public awareness and support to deaf young people to work; (4) Digital media utilisation to amplify the campaign about deaf young people potential to work; and (5) National stakeholders meeting to foster the commitment of governments and public sectors in enabling access and opportunities for deaf young people in the workplace. Unemployed deaf young women are encouraged to participate in this initiative. Deaf young people who participate in the workshops also produce vlogs to explain all the materials they get. The participation of deaf young people continues in all activities conducted. A wider group of deaf young people are also encouraged to produce vlogs which tell stories about their experience in the workplace. All of these are campaign materials used to raise awareness and support from the public to deaf young people(s) ability to work. Thus, this support encourages stakeholders (governments, public sectors, and government training centre) to enable access and opportunity for deaf young people in the workplace. The impact of this project contributes to a lower unemployment rate among people with disabilities, especially deaf people. Support from the public and commitment from stakeholders also contributes to the changing paradigm of society and employers who consider people with disability as helpless people or an obstacle in the workplace.

Pamflet is a youth-led organization that was established to encourage and strengthen capacity of youth to participate in the process of social movement, by providing them with information and knowledge about activism and human rights. With three core divisions: youth studies, youth movement, youth activism, it works to strengthen youth’s access to information, resources, and networks related to human rights, and to encourage local youth initiatives (individual/collective) in different areas in Indonesia through activities such as research, capacity building, training, creative campaigning, and publication.  

Pamflet implemented the project Ini Cerita Kita (This is Our Story), working closely with Gerkatin Kepemudaan (GK), an independent youth organization working for the deaf, and Sedap Films, who are experienced in video and film production about youth and disabilities. The aim of this project was to strengthen the storytelling capacity of deaf youth to articulate their stories as youth with heterogeneous identities and diverse problems, as well as to raise issues of inclusivity from deaf youth’s perspectives and daily narratives. It aimed to develop deaf youth activists’ capacity to campaign about youth and disabilities, using a narrative and personal approach, and the ability to manage the content in audiovisual forms (video and films). The project hoped that these capacities would enable deaf youth activists to represent and campaign about the diversity of deaf youth to the public more adeptly and provide more room for deaf youth expressions. It would also create discourse and conversation about youth with disabilities on social media and the internet.  

The objectives of the project were partially achieved through series of activities. Deaf youths are now capable of producing creative content such as video blog (vlog) to narrate the issues related to disability (especially deaf) as part of their campaign in Gerkatin Kepemudaan. Unfortunately, their capability to manage the activation of the campaign through their own social media and website (which has been developed by Ini Cerita Kita project) still needs to be strengthened. This was mostly in relation to having more clear structures in terms of digital platform activation, as well as improving capacities to plan and write content for the campaign. The project managed to provide room for deaf youth to express themselves not only to create discourse and conversation about deaf youth through vlogs on social media, but also let deaf youth lead discussions about deaf issues in public (through school and community visitation and a festival at the end of the project). As part of the campaign, deaf youth led the discussion among the wider public about creating inclusive environment by bringing the deaf perspective to non-deaf people to realize deaf rights in public space. 

Other activities that the project carried out included website development and social media activation of Gerkatin Kepemudaan, short film production titled “Toko Musik” (Music Store), film screening and website promotion at four schools and two communities in Jakarta, and This is Our Story festival. It engaged deaf and non-deaf young people, government agencies, donors, private sector, and civil organizations. Deaf youths from Gerkatin Kepemudaan were very interested to engage and actively get involved in activities such as website development and short film screenings as well as getting involved in the review process of “Toko Musik” film by providing constructive criticism and suggestions, and also participating in discussions during the film screenings. These activities reached a total of 293 participants.  

While the project managed to achieve some significant milestones, there was still a need to involve more deaf youth in the project processes, as well as reach a wider audience. By seeking to empower the deaf youth to tell their own stories in their own voices, the project has laid down important building blocks towards the empowerment of deaf youth in Indonesia.