MERDEKA DIGITALISASI: OPTIMALISASI UMKM DENGAN METODE SELF APPROACH GUNA MENGENTASKAN KETERPURUKAN EKONOMI SEBAGAI RESULTAN PANDEMI COVID-19

Since COVID-19 arrived in Indonesia, Indonesia has been stuck in a recession for four quar-ters. The work from home policy is implemented to keep the economy running during a pan-demic, which has accelerated the digitalization of the economy. Along with the digitalizationof the economy, MSMEs are the pillars of the Indonesian economy. The government has alsoincluded MSMEs and digital transformation as the focus of national economic recovery. Unfor-tunately, in formulating policies, the government lost its focus on the digitalization of MSMEs.The writing of this paper uses descriptive qualitative research methods based on literaturestudies from various literature. Merdeka Digitalisasi Program with the self-help approachmethod is an idea to overcome this. The self-help approach allows the community to help eachother develop the existing digitalization potential. The ethos embedded in the self-help ap-proach is responsibility and group image. The formation of communities with this concept hasproven to increase resilience and adaptation to unstable times like today. In MerdekaDigitalisasi, students will be sent to villages and MSME entrepreneurs to teach economicdigitization. With Merdeka Digitalization, students actively introduce economic digitizationto MSMEs and reduce existing technological stuttering. Merdeka Digitalization is a solutionwherein the national economic recovery, the government does not only involve consumers andMSME entrepreneurs but students who will become the leaders of this country