Jakarta, Indonesia Sentinel — The MILBoard team from the University of Indonesia (UI) has brought pride to Indonesia by winning first place at the UNESCO Youth Hackathon 2024. The team earned global recognition with their innovative project MILBoard game, combining a traditional board game with a digital app to enhance children’s literacy and critical thinking skills.
“We are incredibly proud to represent Indonesia on the world stage and contribute to advancing media literacy for the younger generation,” said team member Muhammad Rafi Aurelian in a statement on Saturday.
Organized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the competition gathered young innovators from across the globe to develop creative solutions for improving media literacy and information understanding.
The event featured 203 projects from 68 countries, all aimed at tackling the challenges of a digital era dominated by content creators, influencers, and the rising threat of misinformation exacerbated by advancements in artificial intelligence.
By clinching the top spot, the MILBoard team not only secured their place as champions but also received an invitation to present their project at the UNESCO Global Media and Information Literacy (MIL) Week Feature Conference 2024 in Amman, Jordan. There, they showcased their innovation to global leaders, focusing on enhancing media literacy skills among children and teenagers.
This victory highlights the capability of young Indonesian innovators to compete on a global scale, serving as an inspiration for other youth to continue creating impactful solutions. The MILBoard team hopes their achievement will mark the beginning of many more accomplishments aimed at boosting media literacy in Indonesia.
“With MILBoard, our goal is for children and teenagers to not only learn how to filter information but also to differentiate between facts and hoaxes in the digital world,” one of the team members explained.
Online Gambling Addiction! Hundreds Sends to Hospital for Treatment in Jakarta
The MILBoard game was developed by a team of six cross-disciplinary students from UI: Muhammad Rafi Aurelian R. (Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, 2022), Sobarisar Al Fariz Nasution (Faculty of Economics and Business, 2022), Salma Noorfitria Ningrum (Faculty of Administrative Sciences, 2022), Dien Fitriani Azzahra, Dwiky Ahmad Megananta, and Muhammad Faishal Adly N. (all three from the Faculty of Computer Science, 2022).
Their educational tool merges elements of a classic board game with digital technology, aiming to equip the younger generation with critical skills for filtering and understanding information. The game blends traditional concepts like snakes and ladders with interactive features such as challenge cards and QR codes.
An accompanying mobile app extends the learning experience with mini-games and interactive exercises, providing an engaging and relevant way to boost digital literacy among users.
“By integrating traditional learning methods with technology, we aim to reach young people across Indonesia, whether in major cities or remote areas,” added team member Salma Noorfitria Ningrum.
The team’s success at the UNESCO Youth Hackathon underscores the growing influence of Indonesia’s youth in the global arena and their commitment to fostering a more informed and critically aware generation.
(Raidi/Agung)
