Breaking bread, building community and battling bias

Sharing a simple meal with strangers was when it all clicked into place for ANU student Anargya (Eggy) Djatikusumo.

Eggy was a teenager at a school in Indonesia when leaders from a community-engagement program took his class to visit a local orphanage, to connect with young people his age.

“They held these events so the young people in the orphanage felt a part of the community,” Eggy recalls.

The caretaker of the orphanage told Eggy that many of the young people there had lost their parents in the 2004 Sumatra earthquake – known in Australia as the Boxing Day tsunami.

The time spent volunteering provided a platform for people to share their stories with Eggy.

“We sat down, we shared food, and something that struck me was seeing the young people positive and cheerful, despite what they’d been through,” says Eggy. “That changed something inside me. I felt then that I should strive to do more for those who are disadvantaged.

“If people see someone who is economically or socially disadvantaged, they may think that they didn’t work hard enough, or it’s their own fault. But you can’t make assumptions about why they’re in their circumstances.”

“That mindset is a trap, and we have to snap back to reality and remember there’s still a lot to be learnt…”

Anargya (Eggy) Djatikusumo

The time Eggy spent volunteering also highlighted how the community lacks support.

“I thought – what’s stopping us from helping them? We have the resources, it’s just a matter of distributing them,” he says.

“After that moment, I decided I would pursue events and opportunities in international economic development.”

Eggy and his family moved to Australia when he was 17 years old.

He finished high school and began his university education at ANU, studying a double degree in Bachelor of International Relations and a Bachelor of Commerce.

He was selected for the Australian Government’s Youth Steering Committee, which supports the establishment of the Youth Engagement Model under the direction of the Minister for Youth, Dr Anne Aly MP.

Eggy also joined the US Embassy Youth Advisory Council, a group that meets regularly with senior officials to discuss and advise on issues, such as the economic transition to a green future.

The group have discussed the challenge of creating climate policies that are more equitable for younger generations, as well as for low-socioeconomic communities. They have also raised questions about how young people can take part in electric vehicle adoption amidst a cost-of-living crisis, and how Australia and the US can help build the resilience in developing countries to overcome the adverse effects of rising sea levels and unpredictable climate events.

“The work encourages you to think outside the box. We can see the most effective ways to engage and identify what barriers there might be,” he says.

Eggy is hopeful that his experiences with the Youth Steering Committee and Youth Advisory Council, will help him to make a broader impact in Southeast Asia.

“I can hear many perspectives from different cultures, and this educates me on how to face challenges in a more nuanced way.”

These days, Eggy stays involved in a charity organisation in Bali that helps orphaned children.

The experience has highlighted that sitting with community, perhaps over meal, is a better path to change, rather than top-down approaches.

“As I grow older, sometimes I notice there’s a bias that grows in me – that I know what’s best for these people because of my education,” says Eggy.

“That mindset is a trap, and we have to snap back to reality and remember there’s still a lot to be learnt, and a lot that people can teach us through their own experiences.”