Teshalonika Krisanti
Mar 20, 2022
Teshalonika Krisanti
From Jakarta, Indonesia
Lives in Bali
22 years old
This is who I am in the world….
I’m a singer and I love arts. My family is based on arts, with my dad being a painter. I have been singing since I was six years old and I now sing jazz and soul music professionally. Arts are my escape, including painting and drawing, but singing is my favourite. I have sung since I was little and my parents are very supportive and open minded in letting me choose my own steps and path. I’m very blessed to pursue this path.
I am also the Founder of the non-profit school, Kampoeng English Indonesia. I founded it with my dad in 2016 in Bali as a way to embrace local people. I feel very blessed to know Balinese people and many are not privileged to know English and to access education. I began the school at my house with 30 students, with the original idea being to create seeds of the future for four to twelve year olds and to equip them for a better educated Bali. We have now been running for six years and we have 105 students in total with schools in two villages, Sibangkaja and Penarungaan.
Since the pandemic started, it has been very difficult as our lessons cannot be in the classroom, so we have been learning outside in nature. We then called a school break because the Government told us they would close the school if we didn’t. We have been on break for two years now, which is sad and hard for the whole team as we begin another year online.
I was 16 years old when I founded the school. My whole family sold everything and left Jakarta and relocated to Bali so that I could fulfill my dream scholarship that I received for Green School in 2014. In Jakarta, I did not enjoy school as communication was very one way and I had no voice or creativity. Green School provided me with the inspiration to begin my own school as it places more emphasis on children and young people reaching their full potential. I wanted to create a space where kids can be whoever they are with no judgement. I now have six team members and we fund the school with both mine and my dad’s income. We also receive some monetary donations and books.
Neither my father, nor I are teachers and we knew nothing when we began. I simply adapted and learned from my experience at Green School and we’ve learned by doing. This has shaped me as a leader.
I believe that there is always a way if you have a good intention in what you do, as God really sees the heart. We have never been in the position where we have run out of money. Good people and kind people attract each other and the people we meet are always for a purpose. It is never coincidental.
This is the next story that I want next written for women…
Women have more freedom to choose than we ever have previously, so it is our responsibility to use our time wisely and to do what we dream of. I want women to have no fear of what other people say and to not be scared to step out and begin something new. Amazing dreams wouldn’t happen if we didn’t step, and the rest can be put it out for God and the Universe, where magic can happen. It is not our job to expect what will happen, however it is our job to start. We can wish for a change, but it only happens if it starts with you. If you have the dream, then you’re the one that has to step. Don’t think to start big, just start.
My school began in my front garden on a mat. Change starts with simplicity, you don’t have to have everything, you just have to be you. As a woman, each of us is very special and we are equipped for a purpose that instils change. It is up to us to activate that skill with what we have and what we have been born with. As women, we have a passion inside but if our environment is not supportive, it is hard for us to bloom. We need platforms where we can be more of who we are and to speak their opinion.
The Balinese have taught me about Tri Hita Karana. This is the spirit that is ingrained in every element of Balinese life that is about our connection to nature, people, and God. If any are missing, we cannot have harmony and respect.
This is the story that I am next writing for myself….
When it comes to starting new things, if there’s peace in your heart when you think about it and you feel joy, it’s meant for you.
I am preparing to do more singing auditions and I have been teaching myself to step up my teaching singing program. I am on my way to equip myself to teach inter advanced singers to perform.
And I am waiting for school to re-open!
My future vision for my school is for it to be a place of nurturance, rather than competition, comparing and pushing. I have no space for the kind of place where one person is speaking and there is no connection, where there is superiority, pressure and a negative atmosphere.
I want the kind of place where change happens, a space of sharing and a soul- environment that shapes the identity and dreams where children in their golden age are equipped as young change makers. A place where they are asked “what do you want to be?” and where they get inspired by the people around them and the words they hear, help them to become something meaningful. My main purpose is to create a safe space where everyone is heard. We don’t need fancy stuff; we just need people to listen. Connection is everything at school.
Author
Michelle Gardener
Author
Michelle Gardener is a Coach, Author, Yogi, Blogger and Inspirational Speaker. She educates women all over the world in Social Change Leadership and is dedicated to pioneering the most amount of impact possible through helping women create social projects that do good for our world.
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