HUMAS USU – Universitas Sumatera Utara (USU), in collaboration with Narasi and the Australian Embassy Indonesia, organized the 2026 Innovative Social Ideas Competition (KGSI) on Wednesday (13/05/2026) at the Faculty of Economics and Business (FEB) USU, Medan. Carrying the theme “Empowering Education in the Digital Era,” the event served as a platform for young people to present creative ideas and innovative solutions in education.

Vice Rector for Academic, Student Affairs, and Alumni Affairs at USU, Poppy Anjelisa Zaitun Hasibuan, expressed appreciation to Narasi and the Australian Embassy for their collaboration in organizing the event. According to her, KGSI is not merely a competition, but also a space for students to showcase creativity and social awareness.

“KGSI is not only a competition space, but also a meeting point for ideas, creativity, and the hopes of Indonesian youth for a better future in education,” she said.

She explained that the rapid development of digital technology has brought various challenges to education, including unequal access and low digital literacy. Therefore, students are encouraged to present innovative ideas capable of creating positive impacts for society.

“Students are not only recipients of knowledge, but also creators of solutions capable of bringing real change to society,” she added.

Meanwhile, the Australian Ambassador to Indonesia, Roderick Brazier, emphasized the important role of young generations in strengthening relations between Australia and Indonesia in the future. He also introduced several Australian education and scholarship programs, such as Australia Awards and KONEKSI, which support research collaboration between universities in both countries.

“Never give up, because opportunities can come at any time,” he said while motivating the participants.

Founder of Narasi, Najwa Shihab, also encouraged students not to ignore the social concerns around them. According to her, major changes often begin with small concerns that are transformed into concrete actions.

“Big changes often emerge from small concerns that are not ignored and are turned into real action,” she stated.

Among the eight finalists (Top 8) selected in the competition, USU dominated by placing four representatives. Meanwhile, one representative each came from Universitas HKBP Nommensen, Universitas Islam Negeri Sumatera Utara, Universitas Medan Area, and Universitas Katolik Santo Thomas.

Through KGSI 2026, USU hopes to encourage the emergence of innovative social ideas that can contribute meaningfully to the development of inclusive and sustainable education in Indonesia.

Winners of the Innovative Social Ideas Competition (KGSI):

1. First Place: Aura Savinka Balqis (Class of 2022, English Literature, USU)
2. Second Place: M. Ghozi Muzzaki (Class of 2023, Food Technology, USU)
3. Third Place: Nur Syafika (Class of 2025, Law, USU)