Not Only the Great Outdoors, Social Action Also Needs to Be Explored

MALANG, diaz.or.id – For a nature lover, exploring is not merely about pushing through dense forest, reaching a mountain summit, tracing dark caves, or navigating river rapids or the depths of the ocean. There is another realm that also takes courage to explore: the social realm, where mutual cooperation and service to the community grow into real action.

That is the spirit OPA (Nature Lovers Organization) DIAZ brought to the Free Mosque Cleaning (Bersih Masjid Gratis, BMG) event held in Sidorejo Village, Jabung District, Malang Regency, on Sunday (04/10/2026). The event targeted two locations: At-Taqwa Mosque and Al - Hijrah Prayer Hall.

Not going it alone, the organization, whose full name is "Pendaki, Penjelajah dan Pecinta Alam DIAZ" (DIAZ Climbers, Explorers and Nature Lovers), also teamed up with MAPALA ASPAL (Asia Pecinta Alam) ITB Asia Malang and HIMPAS Vigneçvara STIE Malangkuçeçwara to jointly pitch in to clean and maintain places of worship that are an important part of the religious life of the local community.

For OPA DIAZ, this activity is not just about cleaning a building. There is a message it wants to convey: that the abilities, experience, and spirit that have grown from activities in the outdoors can also be given back to the community in the form of service.

When Adventure Changes Terrain

Until now, the identity of nature-lover organizations has been closely tied to outdoor activities. Mountains, forests, cliffs, rivers, and various other terrains serve as learning spaces for their members.

However, for OPA DIAZ, that spirit should not end when one's feet leave the hiking trail, the river current, or other extreme terrain. The ability to work in a team, face difficult terrain, use safety equipment, and have the courage to take responsibility are all part of the experience that can be applied in social life. Therefore, the Free Mosque Cleaning event is one way that experience is translated into action that provides direct benefit.

If in the outdoors members learn to protect the environment, through this activity they learn to bring care to the heart of the community. The terrain is indeed different. There is no steep trail or summit to reach. Yet there is another challenge that is no less important: how to provide benefit through the skills one has.

Cleaning the glass at height on the exterior of At - Taqwa Mosque, Sunday (04/10/2026), (BMG documentation / Ibrahim Vigneç)

Making Houses of Worship More Comfortable

From the moment the activity began, a number of OPA DIAZ members, together with MAPALA ASPAL and HIMPAS Vigneçvara, set about cleaning various parts of the mosque and prayer hall grounds. The interior of the building was cleaned, the yard was tidied, and several areas needing attention were also dealt with. The work was carried out through mutual cooperation.

Members from different organizations work together to clean Al - Hijrah Prayer Hall, Sunday (04/10/2026) (BMG Documentation / Harto Darmono W.)

For the community, a house of worship is not only a place to perform worship. It is also a place to gather, to build ties of friendship, and a part of residents' social life. Therefore, the cleanliness and comfort of houses of worship are important.

Through Free Mosque Cleaning, OPA DIAZ seeks to play a part in keeping these spaces clean, comfortable, and well maintained. The involvement of the mosque caretakers (takmir) is an important part of this activity. The takmir accompanied the cleaning process, provided information on which parts of the houses of worship needed attention, and helped provide meals for the members.

Meanwhile, members of OPA DIAZ, MAPALA ASPAL, and HIMPAS Vigneçvara also put in their efforts to complete the work together. The spirit of mutual cooperation was felt as the heart of the activity.

Reaching the Hard-to-Reach Parts

Another aspect made this Free Mosque Cleaning different from typical community service. The cleaning was not limited to easily reached areas. OPA DIAZ also cleaned the exterior of the building at height.

Cleaning the glass at height on the building exterior by members with professional TKPK competency (BMG Documentation, Sunday (04/10/2026) / Harto Darmono W.)

For an organization close to nature activities and extreme terrain, work at height is also a chance to apply the experience and technical skills it has. However, experience alone is not enough. Safety remains the priority. For that reason, the work on the building's exterior was carried out with suitable equipment and personnel capable of handling activities at height.

The work required special handling because it was done in an area with safety risks. Therefore, the cleaning process used special safety equipment for work at height and was handled by professional personnel with competency in that field.

Collaboration as a Source of Strength

Social activities have a broader impact when carried out together. This was evident in the OPA DIAZ Free Mosque Cleaning (Bersih Masjid Gratis) activity in Sidorejo Village. Besides DIAZ members, the activity also involved the mosque board (takmir), Mapala ASPAL, and HIMPAS Vigneçvara . This collaboration brought together several parties from different backgrounds who shared the same goal: providing benefits to the community.

"The hardest part was cleaning the tape residue off the window glass. But because we're all in this together, we're sure to find a solution, VIVA ASPAL" - said Amelia Riska, a representative of MAPALA ASPAL

The mosque board understands the needs of the house of worship and the local environment. DIAZ brought the experience of a nature-lover organization along with its technical skills. Meanwhile, MAPALA ASPAL and HIMPAS Vigneçvara contributed the energy and spirit of university students to the social activity.

There were no barriers between organizations, communities, or the administrators of the house of worship. Everyone took part according to their own abilities. From this, the Free Mosque Cleaning activity not only produced a cleaner environment, but also brought people together in an activity with a social purpose. The meeting of these various parties then became a joint effort.

Members from across organizations joking around together during the lunch break, Sunday (04/10/2026) (documentation by BMG / Harto Darmono W.)

From Nature to the Community

Being a nature lover does not only mean being close to mountains, forests, rivers, or other landscapes. More than that, there are values inherent in these activities: care, responsibility, solidarity, courage, teamwork, and the ability to adapt to conditions in the field.

These are the values that OPA DIAZ then tries to bring into the social sphere. Free Mosque Cleaning is one way to show that a nature-lover organization can also be present in the midst of the community with the abilities it has. The activity also serves as a reminder that protecting the environment has a broad scope.

Protecting nature is part of caring. Keeping clean the places of worship and facilities used by the community is also a form of caring. With such a perspective, social action is not merely an additional activity, but becomes part of an organization's journey in finding the form of its usefulness.

Exploring Further

For OPA DIAZ, a journey does not always have to be measured by the distance traveled. There are journeys measured not in kilometers, but in benefit. There is also terrain that is not a mountain slope or a forest trail, but the needs of the community, waiting to be touched with real action.

"Why must exploration be limited to activities in the wilderness, when in my opinion humanitarian activities such as SAR, including the mosque cleaning we are doing tomorrow, are also a form of exploration. In the sense of the exploring spirit that we bring to the community" - said M. Fauzi, Deputy Chairman of OPA DIAZ, in an interview on Saturday (03/10/2026)

Through Free Mosque Cleaning, OPA DIAZ tries to open up that space for a journey. The activity in Sidorejo Village is one step toward broadening the meaning of "exploring." From the wilderness to the social sphere. From adventure activity to service. From personal experience to shared benefit. This activity also shows that skills gained from the world of nature lovers can be useful beyond adventure activities, including when used to help the community.

In the end, mountains are not the only place to learn about life. Forests are not the only place to find challenges. And the wilderness is not the only space to show courage. In the midst of the community, too, there are many things to explore. There are needs that can be helped, environments that can be cared for, and social spaces that can be filled with compassion.

OPA DIAZ's Free Mosque Cleaning in Sidorejo Village is one form of such a journey. A journey that does not end at the summit, but at benefit. A journey that leaves no footprints on a hiking trail, but leaves an impression in the midst of the community. Because for DIAZ, it is not only the wilderness that needs to be explored; social action needs to be explored too.