Founded by two anthropologists in 2006, Kampung Halaman seeks to address that concern by providing Indonesian young people, ages 13–25, with the skills and tools to produce their own videos about issues that are relevant to themselves and their communities and to use those productions to provoke discussion and promote social change.


One way the organization achieves its goals is through Youth Media Community Labs, which it has established in a number of towns and cities across Indonesia. Along with imparting technical and artistic skills involved in video production, instructors encourage young filmmakers to see themselves as leaders and to recognize the powerful role that images and imagination can play in sowing the seeds of societal transformation. Participants have used video to explore such questions as the relevance of cultural and religious traditions to modern life, the roots of poverty, the treatment of youth offenders, the role of women, and the impact of natural disasters on communities.

Kampung Halaman also sponsors annual media training camps that bring together youth leaders from across the nation, holds networking forums for community video activists, and hosts a youth video blog and screening event. To gain wider audiences for locally produced videos, the organization has created a database of community productions, made the selected videos available via DVD and on its website, and helped establish digital video archives at public and university libraries.