The Faculty of Medicine at Syiah Kuala University (FK USK) officially reaffirmed its long-term commitment to supporting child and adolescent mental health. This step was realized through the inauguration of the Research Center for Mental Health and Social Wellbeing during the climax of the Safe Communities Safe Schools (SCSS) Festival in Banda Aceh.
This research center serves as a strategic continuation of the SCSS program, an international research collaboration between FK USK, DIGNITY Denmark, University of Colorado Boulder, and Universitas Indonesia. Since 2019, the program has successfully implemented an inclusive and safe school model in several partner schools through a series of psychosocial interventions involving teachers, parents, and students.
The Dean of FK USK, Dr. dr. Safrizal Rahman, M.Kes., Sp.OT., stated that this festival serves as a space for reflection on the five-year collaborative journey. He emphasized the importance of transforming these research findings into government policy recommendations to create an emotionally healthier educational ecosystem for the younger generation.
As part of the event series, a cross-sector discussion was held involving the Education Office and Bappeda of Banda Aceh City. This session explored the potential expansion of the safe school model to a broader scope while listening to direct testimonials from students and teachers regarding the effectiveness of the interventions received during the program period.
As a gesture of appreciation for the program's success, the university presented awards to strategic partners, including government agencies and the research implementation team led by Dr. Rina Suryani Oktari and Dr. Haiyun Nisa. The presence of various stakeholders at this event underscored a solid cross-sector synergy to ensure sustainable attention to students' psychosocial well-being in future schools.
