A Big Hit in Bayat
Between the 1st and 5th October, 24 adult volunteers of ROTA visited Bayat to share knowledge and culture with students of SMP 1 Banyuripan in five different subjects as diverse as music, the environment, english, computers, life skills and sport. The programme involved students in grade 8, and with volunteers assisted by five English teachers who acted as translators. Everyone agreed that the classes were fun and exciting for both students and volunteers alike.

Volunteers had the opportunity to learn batik making and ceramics, part of the traditional cultur of Bayat village. They were taught by vocational students of SMK N 1 ROTA Bayat to make wooden batik bracelets and many shapes of pottery.

The workshops gave vocational students the opportunity to demonstrate their talent and connect with their foreign guests.

On the fourth day of visit, volunteers met with the local kids of PagerJurang hamlet where they did painting and made small items of pottery as part of preservation of the ceramic tradition as well as developing the resources of people in the hamlet to help establish it as a tourist destination.

These volunteers visits are a chance to promote Bayat and its distinguished heritage, forging access to the people of Bayat in an effort to alleviate their poverty on a sustainable basis.

The hope is that many more visitors will come to know about Bayat through such cultural exchanges.