The Center for Indigenous and Cultural Psychology (CICP) of the Faculty of Psychology, Universitas Gadjah Mada, participated in the u’GOOD Inaugural Conference titled “Thriving Together: Youth, Relational Wellbeing and the Future of the Global South,” held from October 7–9, 2025, in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. This inaugural conference served as the official launch of u’GOOD research projects across 9 Global South countries and marked the initial meeting of a Community of Practice (CoP) aimed at strengthening cross-national and interdisciplinary collaborations.
The u’GOOD program is a partnership between the National Research Foundation (NRF) of South Africa, Fondation Botnar (Switzerland), and the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) of South Africa. The program focuses on the relational wellbeing of youth in urban and peri-urban areas of low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), with four main thematic areas: livelihoods, climate change, digitalization, and mental health.
The Faculty of Psychology UGM was represented by two delegates: Dr. Wenty Marina Minza as the Principal Investigator (PI) and Lusiana Yashinta Ellysa Putri, M.Sc as the Project Manager. They represented CICP’s three-year research project titled “Vulnerable Youth: Navigating Meaningful Livelihoods in Indonesia,” led by Dr. Wenty Marina Minza with co-PI Dr. Pradytia Putri Pertiwi. At this conference, the UGM team presented their research objectives, approach, and work plan, while also participating in strategic workshops on monitoring-evaluation & strategic learning, and an orientation on the NRF’s grant management and reporting systems.
The series of activities began with opening remarks from the leadership of NRF, Tanzania Commission for Science and Technology (COSTECH), Fondation Botnar, and HSRC, followed by a plenary session on the concept and scientific evidence of relational wellbeing (RWB) from a Global South perspective. In the subsequent days, research teams presented their respective projects, discussed visions for each thematic area (livelihoods, climate change, digitalization, mental health), developed a strategic learning & evaluation playbook, and collectively laid the groundwork for the Community of Practice to enhance the program’s impact on the ground.
For the CICP UGM team, this participation was a rich learning opportunity. The team gained hands-on experience in deepening the Relational Wellbeing (RWB) framework while also understanding the research governance and grant reporting practices implemented by u’GOOD. They had the opportunity to present the project “Vulnerable Youth: Navigating Meaningful Livelihoods in Indonesia” before 23 teams from 9 countries, received constructive, cross-context feedback, and refined the research approach to be implemented in Indonesia. The team’s presentation video for the Faculty of Psychology’s u’GOOD project also received the Best Video award from Prof. Sharlene Swartz, Academic Lead of u’GOOD. Beyond the formal sessions, collaborative networks were formed, paving the way for follow-up plans with international academics and stakeholders that may support future dissemination and strengthen research implementation.
UGM’s participation in the u’GOOD Inaugural Conference marks a strategic step to enrich conceptual, methodological, and practical approaches in understanding youth relational wellbeing in Indonesia, particularly concerning the transition towards meaningful livelihoods. The presence of an international CoP network is expected to accelerate the exchange of best practices, enhance the quality of research implementation, and broaden the impact for youth communities in various regions.