Challenges

•Culture related professions are often not regarded as worthwhile undertakings/ professions. •Education centers (schools, museums, and cultural centers) do not have an effective program and tools to engage the interest of younger audience in appreciating handmade craft traditions. •Indonesia’s embassies and missions abroad may not have a tool kit/ accurate information on the wealth of Indonesian culture and traditions to be able to comprehensively, properly present Indonesian culture and heritage to both the young generation as well as to foreign audiences. •Many parents want to do cultural-related activities with their children, but currently there are not many family-oriented activities for them. •Craft education is needed for the young to acquire or at least to appreciate and understand the skills required for these traditions and the cultural context in which these traditions are rooted in. A loss of this knowledge leads to a loss of cultural identity whilst a continued appreciation enhances the sustainability of such traditions as well as the livelihoods of their practitioners. •Lack of understanding of even the most well-known craft traditions is evident. For instance, printed ‘batik’ marketed as batik shows the lack of understanding as to what constitutes this craft tradition. Educating the young is a way to help counter this issue.