Pemberdayaan Tata Kelola Desa Berbasis Partisipasi Masyarakat: Implementasi Program Kuliah Kerja Lapangan Prodi Ilmu Pemerintahan dalam Mendukung Gerakan Membangun dari Desa

Abstract

The community service activity carried out through a seminar entitled “Village Governance Empowerment Based on Community Participation” was implemented as part of the Field Work Lecture (KKL) Program of the Government Science Study Program to strengthen village governance capacity. This activity was motivated by the low level of community participation, inadequate development planning, and limited capacity of village officials in managing governance, as identified in the partner village. The method employed was a qualitative approach through observation, documentation, and participant response analysis. This approach was chosen to understand social dynamics and village needs more comprehensively, as well as to capture the authentic meaning of community participation. The activity was conducted in the form of a seminar featuring two expert speakers and attended by village officials, community leaders, and students. The seminar materials covered the strengthening of good governance concepts, strategies for enhancing community participation, and practical exercises in developing village planning documents. Participant evaluations indicated a significant increase in their understanding of village governance, the quality of community deliberations, and the relevance of the material to local needs. Participants also demonstrated strong readiness to follow up on the seminar by improving planning practices, ensuring budget transparency, and broadening community involvement. Overall, this activity proved to have a positive impact in fostering collective awareness regarding the importance of participation as the foundation of inclusive, democratic, and accountable village governance. The participatory seminar model serves as an effective strategy to support the “developing from the village” initiative while strengthening collaboration between academia, village governments, and the community