Pemberdayaan Komunitas Muda melalui Pendekatan Kontemplatif-Ekologis di Alam Terbuka

Abstract

The phenomenon of the younger generation’s alienation from nature and inner tranquillity amidst the onslaught of modern digital life highlights the urgent need for a community empowerment model capable of restoring both simultaneously. This article examines the Nature Orientation and Contemplation Programme organised by the Istiqlal Mosque Clergy Cadre Education Programme (PKUMI) at Via Renata, Cianjur, on 17–19 April 2026, as a model for empowering young communities through a contemplative-ecological approach in the great outdoors. Employing a descriptive qualitative approach combined with the Participatory Action Research paradigm, this study traces the five stages of transformation undergone by the participants: detachment from the world (tark al-dunya), purification of the body (takhalli), contemplation of nature as an ecological-Qur’anic epistemology, the unveiling of consciousness through self-reflection (muhasabah) (tajalli), and the channelling of experience into collective social capital (baqa bi-Allah). The findings indicate that the structure of classical Sufi maqamat aligns with and mutually reinforces the principles of contemporary environmental psychology—particularly the theories of attention restoration and nature connectivity—as well as theories of community empowerment based on positive youth development. These findings give rise to a proposed new model, Ecological Suluk, as an empowerment framework that holistically integrates spiritual, ecological and social dimensions. This article recommends that the model be incorporated on a regular basis into the training of religious leaders and be further tested through quantitative and longitudinal studies involving a more diverse group of young people.