When a child is born, many external factors begin to shape their development as a human being, including the influence and information they receive from their environment. These external components affect a person’s character, guiding how they respond to and handle various life events. The word ‘character’ comes from the Greek word ‘charassein’, which means ‘to sharpen, cut, or engrave’. Over time, this word evolved into ‘charakter’, meaning ‘a distinctive mark’. This evolution suggests that character is something ‘engraved’—it requires external forces to shape it.

At Titian, we take on the role of ‘engraving’ the character of our beneficiaries, the Titian scholarship students. More precisely, we help them receive support to strengthen their character. This is a core focus of Titian’s efforts: to nurture young minds during their formative years, helping them become more thoughtful and resilient in life. While schools provide Titian scholarship students with academic and/or vocational knowledge, at Titian, we aim to strengthen their character, building their confidence to navigate life—whether it’s making decisions, determining their direction, thinking critically, or managing themselves. By providing an early understanding of how the world works and how to respond to it, Titian scholarship students can absorb our lessons and ultimately realize that their dreams are achievable—especially when they possess a strong character.

This process, however, is far from easy. Every teenager’s ability to socialize and collaborate is different. For Titian facilitators, motivating a teenager to fully participate in each activity is a challenge that requires great precision. Unlike exact sciences, which rely on fixed calculations and high accuracy, encouraging individuals to shape their own character involves a more complex process. It requires awareness, knowledge, and a blend of other elements, including intangible factors like intuition, reasoning, and energy.

Of course, there are some ‘resistance’ came from the teenagers, such as delaying the completion of tasks. Adolescence is a stage where the concept of actions and their consequences remains abstract, not fully understood. This makes it a critical period. The resistance they experience becomes an opportunity for Titian facilitators to provide deeper insights into the impact of their actions. Through experiences of ‘trial and error,’ teenagers have a great opportunity to learn, allowing them to shape and strengthen their inner character.

One of the key character-building activities in the Titian Scholarship Program is the Outing, where the scholarship students engage in outdoor activities together. Being in nature helps the scholarship students feel more relaxed and open, creating better cooperation and stronger bonds with each other. The Titian Outing activities are designed to target key aspects of character development—such as teamwork, communication, problem-solving, planning, and togetherness—all of which are essential to cultivate from a young age. These activities also create strong emotional connections and present challenges that the scholarship students must solve together.

“Has my character helped me move toward my dreams? Is there a part of my character that is holding me back from a brighter future?” These questions crossed the mind of Aura, a recipient of the Titian Pemenang Lombok Scholarship, Generation 4. The Titian Outing activities led Aura and her fellow Titian Pemenang Lombok Generation 4 scholarship students to a realization. They gained the courage to evaluate themselves, asking questions about their personal growth and practicing introspection and reflection—an essential goal that Titian strives to achieve. Similarly, Dea (Generation 4) shared a new realization after the Outing: “It turns out that cooperation is quite important to me. How I interact with others who have the same goals is something I will face in the future. I believe that we are social beings who cannot live without the help of others.”

The Outing, held in the beautiful Otak Kokok Joben area in East Lombok, created lasting memories for them. These memories remind them of laughter, togetherness, and the importance of self-development. Aulia (Generation 4), who also participated, said, “Thank you for this life experience that we could not get at school, an experience that has provided extraordinary meaning in my life.”