Strengthening Legal Awareness from an Early Age through Socialization for Students of SMP Negeri 1 Kaduhejo

Abstract

Early legal awareness is important for helping adolescents understand acceptable conduct, respect the rights of others, and respond responsibly to problems at school and in digital environments. This community engagement program was conducted at SMP Negeri 1 Kaduhejo on Tuesday, 21 July 2026, and involved approximately 250 seventh-grade students from nine classes. The activity aims to strengthen basic legal literacy through contextual and participatory education. The material covered the social function of law, students' rights and obligations, bullying, violence, misuse of personal images, misinformation, digital responsibility, and safe conflict resolution. The program was coordinated with the school partner, represented by Umi Kahesa, and implemented through interactive presentation, guided questions, case-based discussions, participant simulation, and collective reflection. Information for evaluation was obtained from field notes, activity documentation, presentation materials, and students' verbal responses, then interpreted descriptively. The implementation showed that examples drawn from students' daily experiences encouraged active attention and participation. Several students responded to questions, took part in front-of-class activities, and proposed nonviolent responses such as stopping harmful content, apologizing, preserving relevant evidence, and seeking assistance from trusted adults. Despite the large number of participants and limited room arrangement, the activity remains orderly through role distribution among the student facilitators and school support. The program indicates that school-based legal education can serve as an initial preventive effort to develop responsible behavior and strengthen a safe, respectful, and digitally civil school culture.