National Leadership Camp ICMI 2026

Summary

The National Leadership Camp (NLC) 2026 focused on developing Muslim leaders and strengthening ICMI’s role in public life. Its business-relevant themes included organizational capacity, leadership development, adapting to technology, building trust, planning for long-term impact, and turning ideas into measurable public outcomes.

Organization and Event Execution

The committee described the camp as a program for developing leadership capacity, national awareness, integrity, and strategic networking. It was organized in collaboration with the DPD RI.

Demand exceeded the venue’s in-person capacity. The committee reported about 3,000 online registrations and roughly 1,000 people interested in attending in person. The venue quota was approximately 400, although organizers expected around 500 people to seek onsite attendance. Those who could not attend in person were directed to participate online.

The event combined onsite and online participation, offered free health checks, and used registration desks to manage attendance. Speakers viewed the high demand as evidence of strong interest among young people. ICMI Youth was presented as an autonomous body and a vehicle for organizational regeneration and engagement with younger members.

Leadership and Organizational Frameworks

The camp presented two leadership frameworks:

• Five qualities for developing cadres (“5K”):
  • Quality of faith
  • Quality of thinking
  • Quality of work
  • Quality of work outcomes and lasting impact
  • Quality of life
• Four leadership traits drawn from the Prophet’s example:
  • Siddiq — honesty and integrity
  • Fathanah — competence, intelligence, and vision
  • Amanah — trustworthiness
  • Tabligh — communicating, inspiring, and mobilizing others

Arif Satria argued that leadership requires both a growth mindset and strong character. Skills may help someone reach a high level, but sustained practice, learning, focus, strategy, and resilience help them remain there.

He also emphasized producing work with long-term benefits and multiplier effects, rather than focusing only on immediate outputs. Meaningful work, he suggested, should be measured by the benefits it creates for others and future generations.

A related organizational goal was to become a high-trust organization. Integrity and competence build credibility, which makes communication and collective action more effective.

Technology, Adaptation, and Ethics

Arif Satria described technological change—especially AI—as reshaping communication, work, education, research, and social interaction. He identified multi-agent AI in 2027 and later “physical AI” as developments to watch.

He outlined three stages of AI engagement: using AI, understanding it, and developing it. He warned that Indonesia should prepare to move beyond adoption and build the capabilities and infrastructure needed to develop AI.

That infrastructure includes reliable electricity, chips, GPUs, computing capacity, data centers, and materials such as rare earth elements. Arif also raised environmental costs, including energy and water consumption.

He urged religious and civic organizations to contribute to debates about AI ethics, law, and social impact. Proposed regulation, he said, should be developed through sound human governance rather than delegated to AI. A broader decision-making principle was to assess technology and policy by whether they produce benefit or harm.

Planning, Education, and Institution-Building

DPD RI Chair Sultan Baktiar Najamudin stressed that individuals and organizations should have a plan, blueprint, and clear destination, rather than relying on circumstances to determine their direction. He summarized this as: “Failure to plan is planning to fail.”

Sultan argued that national trust and character are built gradually through consistent behavior, including everyday ethics such as honesty and respect for queues.

Both Sultan and Arif emphasized early education as a foundation for character and capability. Sultan cited a grassroots football league involving children from all 38 provinces and about 2,000 young players. He described it as an investment in talent development over a 5-, 10-, 20-, or even 50-year horizon.

Deputy Chair Jafar Hafsah urged young members to keep studying, pursue formal education, continually update their knowledge, exercise, and develop creative or artistic abilities alongside their professional roles.

Youth Participation and Political Literacy

University of North Sumatra Chancellor Muryanto Amin argued that young people need to combine personal skill-building with social and political engagement. Professional development alone is insufficient if it is disconnected from public concerns.

ICMI Youth representative Alfarizi described leadership forums as a way to identify problems through dialogue and encourage socially engaged intellectuals to address them.

Alfarizi outlined possible election-system changes under discussion, including a mixed proportional system and changes to electoral-district seat allocations. He characterized these as preliminary ideas, not official decisions.

Political practitioner Nur Sandi Syam cited an estimated 56% youth participation in the 2024 election, while cautioning that young voters’ influence was most visible on election day and less evident in subsequent policy-making. He identified four priorities for young people entering politics:

• Improve political literacy and the ability to identify disinformation.
• Develop leadership competence before entering practical politics.
• Participate in policy monitoring and evaluation beyond election day.
• Strengthen democracy through substantive engagement, not simply electoral participation.

Marketing and Community-Building Example

Organizers promoted ICMI One Run 2026, scheduled for November 15, 2026, at Taman Mini Indonesia Indah (TMII). The event offered 3K, 5K, and 10K categories, along with an attendee-only registration discount available at the camp.

The promotion positioned the run as more than a race: it was presented as a way to encourage healthy habits, strengthen community ties, and generate charitable contributions for disaster-related humanitarian work. Its call to action encouraged people to register onsite, invite family and friends, and participate together.

Key Metrics and Timelines

• NLC 2026: About 3,000 online registrations reported by the committee.
• In-person attendance: Venue quota of about 400, with roughly 500 expected to seek onsite access. Participants not accommodated onsite were directed online.
• Online attendance: Separately described during the event as more than 1,000 registered participants.
• Grassroots football example: About 2,000 children representing all 38 provinces, with a 5–50-year development horizon.
• Youth voter participation: About 56% in the 2024 election, as cited by Nur Sandi Syam.
• AI forecast: Arif Satria said multi-agent AI would begin in 2027.
• ICMI One Run: November 15, 2026, with 3K, 5K, and 10K options.
• Other ICMI events: A cadre-development workshop on November 8 and women’s events on November 9. The discussion also referred to a broader sequence of activities leading to the ICMI congress.

Actionable Takeaways

• Treat high participation as a signal of demand, while planning capacity, hybrid delivery, and attendee communications accordingly.
• Build leadership pipelines through continuous learning, practical work, character development, and sustained practice.
• Set a clear organizational blueprint and connect near-term activities to long-term outcomes.
• Invest in foundational education and early talent development rather than relying only on short-term recruitment.
• Prepare for AI through skills, infrastructure, governance, and ethical review—not adoption alone.
• Build trust through consistent, observable behavior; credibility is an operating asset for mobilizing people.
• Measure civic and organizational impact by what happens after events and elections: follow-through, policy influence, and benefits experienced by communities.

Presenters and Sources

• Event presenters: Committee chair Robi Prayuda; ICMI Youth chair Ismail Rumadan; ICMI chair and BRIN head Arif Satria; DPD RI chair Sultan Baktiar Najamudin; and ICMI deputy chair Jafar Hafsah.
• Youth-and-politics session: Moderator Alfarizi, with Muryanto Amin and Nur Sandi Syam.
• Afternoon lecture segment: Minister of Religious Affairs Nazaruddin Umar spoke. Jimly Asshiddiqie was introduced, but the supplied subtitles end during the lecture segment.
• Promotional source: The ICMI One Run 2026 video and event organizers.