Cultivating Political Awareness Among High School Students through Participatory Education in Government
Keywords:
Government, Citizens, Participation.Abstract
This study addresses the low level of political awareness and civic participation among vocational high school students in Indonesia by situating the issue within the broader challenge of strengthening democratic citizenship among young voters. The program aims to foster students’ understanding of governance, political rights, and participatory democracy through a community service–based educational intervention. The methods employed include interactive civic education workshops, school-level democratic simulations, digital political literacy and anti-hoax training, and the establishment of a student civic forum, implemented through a participatory civic education approach involving lecturers, university students, teachers, and pupils at SMK PGRI Larangan. The results indicate a substantial improvement in students’ knowledge of governmental structures, democratic principles, and political participation, as reflected in pre-test and post-test comparisons showing an average increase of approximately 40% in civic understanding, alongside higher student engagement in school organizations and forums. Qualitative observations further reveal positive changes in students’ attitudes toward politics, with reduced apathy and increased critical awareness of public issues and digital political information. The study concludes that participatory, contextual, and practice-oriented civic education is effective in enhancing political awareness among vocational students and can serve as a sustainable model for schools in developing democratic character, civic responsibility, and informed youth participation in governance.
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