Students of the D4 Culinary Arts Study Program, Faculty of Vocational Studies, Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta (UNY), Gunungkidul Campus, recently conducted an outreach activity themed “The Importance of Clean Water for Life” at SD Negeri Mijahan 1, Wonosari, Gunungkidul. This activity was part of a community service program as well as an implementation of the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6: Clean Water and Sanitation.

The outreach program involved 25 students from grades 4 to 6, who enthusiastically participated in the sessions. The UNY students provided education on the importance of maintaining water cleanliness, the dangers of contaminated water, and simple steps to preserve water quality in the home environment. The material was delivered using interactive methods such as educational games, fun quizzes, and short video screenings to ensure it was easily understood by elementary school students.

In addition to the theoretical session, the students invited participants to take part in a hands-on activity to create a simple water filtration device using everyday materials such as sand, charcoal, gravel, and recycled plastic bottles. Through this practical demonstration, students were able to directly observe how water filtration works and better understand why clean water is essential for human health.

This activity also represents the integration of SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation) with SDG 4 (Quality Education). Contextual learning activities such as this are expected to foster environmental awareness from an early age and strengthen students’ understanding that small actions can have a significant impact on health and environmental sustainability.

One of the participating students, Inayah Nour Fatikhah, emphasized the importance of introducing clean water education at the elementary school level. “Through this activity, we aim to instill the habit of maintaining water cleanliness from an early age. When children understand the filtration process and the dangers of contaminated water, they will become more caring and able to apply clean and healthy living practices at home and in their surrounding environment,” she explained.

The students hope that this activity will inspire other schools in the Gunungkidul region to implement environmentally based learning and encourage communities to maintain water quality for the sake of collective health.