Nabila N.

Gang violence is still a dark part of some Indonesian youth life. At school, Nabila saw how her teacher punished troubled kids verbally and physically. Nabila knew verbal and physical punishment could not be the solution to gang violence. Nabila took the brave step to empathize with the gang kids, listened to their stories, and provided ways for them to express themselves freely. She called it CDEF action – Cari tahu / find out more, Dekati / step closer, Empathy, Forum / provide a supportive environment. Forum also means a place for 'troubled' kids to release anger and to explore their talents. Initially Nabila did CDEF alone. However, after getting a lot of interests, she developed CDEF Metamorfosa as an early psychological support. Other kids were trained as peer-to-peer counselors. The Ministry of Education and other civil society organizations helped Nabila to create an accompaniment program for 60 kids that were involved in gangs in Bandung.