|
 There
are countless ways you can be actively engaged in your community.
It's more than paying taxes, voting, obeying laws, and serving
on juries. Civic engagement goes beyond these things to the
idea that WE "own" a problem and can work to solve
it. Below are just a few suggestions for ways you can be civically
engaged and enourage others to become involved too!
- join
local organizations
- obey
the law
- conduct
a service project
- attend
town meetings
- learn
about another culture
- honor
public servants (police, fire, etc.)
- stay
aware of public issues
- read
the newspaper
- work
on a political campaign
- organize
a voter registration drive
- contact
your elected officials
- participate
in patriotic events
- serve
on a board or committee
- investigate
your town's history
- lobby
for legislation
- write
letters to the editor of the newspaper
- speak
to community groups
- volunteer
- join
a Youth Leadership program with the Chamber of Commerce
Here
is a different way to look ways to be civically engaged. This
list of indicators was developed by CIRCLE
(The Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning
& Engagement) through a series of focus groups with young
people across the country. The indicators identify different
dimensions of civic engagement.
Civic
Indicators
Electoral Indicators
Indicators of Political Voice
Indicators of Attentiveness
| Civic
Indicators |
- community
problem solving
- working
together informally with someone or some group
to solve a community problem
- regular
volunteering for a non-electoral organization
- working
in some way to help others for no pay (includes
volunteering for an environmental organization;
a civic/community organization, a social services
organization to help the poor, elderly, or homeless;
a hospital; or an organization involved with youth,
children, or education)
- active
membership in a group or association
- belonging
to and actively participating in (not just donating
money) groups or associations, either locally
or nationally
- participation
in fund-raising run/walk/ride
- personally
walking, running, or bicycling for a charitable
cause (does not include sponsoring or giving money
for this type of event)
- other
fund raising for charity
- helping
raise money for a charitable cause
|
| Electoral
Indicators |
- regular
voting
- voting
regularly in both local and national elections
- persuading
others
- talking
to others when there is an election taking place
to try to show them why they should vote for or
against one of the parties or candidates
- displaying
buttons, signs, stickers
- for
a candidate, political party, or political organization
- campaign
contributions
- contributing
money to a candidate, a political party, or any
organization that supported candidates
- volunteering
for candidates or political organizations
|
|
Indicators of Political Voice |
- contacting
officials
- contacting
or visiting a public official, at any level of
government, to ask for assistance or to express
an opinion
- contacting
the print media
- contacting
a newspaper or magazine to express an opinion
on an issue
- contacting
the broadcast media
- calling
in to a radio or television talk show to express
an opinion on a political issue, even if it is
not aired
- protesting
- taking
part in a protest, march, or demonstration
- e-mail
petitions
- signing
an e-mail petition
- written
petitions
- signing
a written petition about a political or social
issue
- boycotting
- not
buying something because of conditions under which
the product is made, or because of disapproval
of the company that produces it
- buycotting
- buying
a certain product or service because of approval
of the social or political values of the company
that produces or provides it
- canvassing
- having
done some work as a canvasser going door to door
for a political or social group or candidate
|
|
Indicators of Attentiveness |
- following
government and public affairs most of the time
- talking
often about current events with friends or family
- talking
often about politics or government
- regularly
(at
least a few times a week) reading the newspaper
- reading
a news magazine with regularity
- watching
the news on television
- listening
to news on the radio
- regularly
reading news on the Internet
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