National Identity Counseling as an Effort to Strengthen the Identity of Indonesian Migrants in Malaysia: A Character Education Perspective

Abstract

This community service initiative aims to emphasize the significance of understanding national identity for Indonesian migrants in Malaysia to strengthen their sense of self. The service includes counseling sessions utilizing various lecture methods and national identity games. The target audience comprises 100 migrants at the Indonesian Embassy, focusing on their national identity and overall identity in Malaysia. Data collection involves observation, interviews, and documentation, with interactive analysis techniques employed for data interpretation. The counseling results, based on pre- and post-counseling observations, show a positive transformation. Before counseling, migrants often felt fear, doubt, and confusion about their identity, struggled to express it, and found it challenging to reveal themselves. After counseling, migrants demonstrated an improved understanding of the importance of national identity, became more confident in expressing their identity, and overcame their fears. Interviews revealed that migrants at the Indonesian Embassy faced various complex problems related to identity, including physical abuse, illegal status, non-payment of wages, and inhumane treatment by employers. The findings underscore the urgent need for national identity education to address these issues and strengthen the overall well-being of Indonesian migrants in Malaysia.