Communication Empowerment Of Aceh East Coastal Communities In Maintaining Manggrove Ecosystems (Study Of Meunasah Asan Village, Madat District, East Aceh Regency)

Abstract

Empowerment communication as a new approach in community empowerment with the spirit of voicing the voiceless, building the empowered, placing humans as subjects not objects. Contribute to the development process in the context of the diffusion of innovation as a means of modernization with the presence of information technology to make it easier. Powerlessness is a reflection of the failure of the human-centered development process. This study aims to identify and describe the communication of coastal community empowerment in Meunasah Asan East Aceh Village in increasing active participation in maintaining the mangrove ecosystem. Revealing socio-economic changes in the participatory development process as an illustration of the empowerment of coastal communities in maintaining mangrove ecosystems with an empowerment communication approach, communication actions based on local wisdom, social welfare and strengthening social capital. Data were collected through observation, interviews, focus group discussions and documentation. The results showed; when the community's mindset changes at the Gampong level in utilizing, maintaining the mangrove ecosystem is able to bring it to a different pattern of behavior than before. This change can be seen in the process of helping themselves to get out of the stigma as poor marginalized coastal communities by utilizing and maintaining the potential of mangroves and other coastal areas. Active participation shows the community's empowerment in communicating which drives a living condition based on the existence of religious values, norms, customs, culture as local wisdom that is mutually agreed to strengthen social welfare and social capital. Social capital works internally in the Meunasah Asan community in forming exclusive social ties as a social bridge with external parties who have relatively different characteristics. The pattern of relationships that occur is bound by trust, mutual understanding and shared values ​​that bind the community in acting together efficiently and effectively. The role of the community caring for mangroves is to create a public space for coastal communities to communicate, express, so as to foster mutual concern. Social groups as the most effective forum for empowerment enable individuals to organize themselves in groups so that a dialogical process occurs that fosters and strengthens mutual awareness.