<![CDATA[Leadership capacity among student organization members needs to be strengthened through learning that connects character values with practical organizational skills. This community service program aimed to improve the understanding of student council (OSIS) members regarding character-based leadership, responsibility, communication, teamwork, delegation, decision-making, and conflict resolution. The program was conducted at eight junior secondary schools/madrasahs in Palaran District, Samarinda, on 27 August 2026 using educational, participatory, contextual, and reflective approaches. Activities included preliminary observation, needs mapping, interactive presentations, case discussions, reflection, and pre-test–post-test evaluation. The combined mean score increased from 78.5 on the pre-test to 87.6 on the post-test, equivalent to an 11.6% relative increase. All schools showed improvement ranging from 11.0% to 12.8%, with SMP Negeri 14 Samarinda recording the highest post-test mean of 92.5. Participants also engaged in discussions and reflections on leadership as a role of building trust and mobilizing teams rather than merely exercising formal authority. These results indicate that a short, structured, participatory program can strengthen immediate understanding of character-based leadership. Follow-up mentoring and behavioral observation are required to assess the sustainability of its application in student organization activities.]]>
