- [Instructor] Civic engagement
is defined as the actions
of local leaders and residents
to improve their community
and the lives of their community members.
It's important to think about
these terms pretty broadly.
We tend to think about community as a word
that refers specifically
to the physical location
where you live.
But you might belong to
several different communities
at once, your city or town, yes.
But also your school or a
club sport or online gaming
or social media networks
or an identity group.
Anytime you join together with others
with a common interest,
you're in a community.
And when you work to
promote the quality of life
in a community, that's civic engagement.
Civic engagement also
doesn't only mean engaging
with politics and government.
That's one way of acting to
affect change in a community.
And remember that we define
politics as a process
by which people reach collective decisions
despite potentially diverging opinions
that are generally regarded
as binding on the group
and enforced as common policy.
But civic engagement also
includes a whole spectrum of ways
that people participate in self-governance
including interacting with government,
volunteering in and
serving their communities,
and organizing for social,
political, and economic causes.
When someone works to make a
difference in their community
and develops the combination
of knowledge, skills, values,
and motivation in order
to make a difference,
they're practicing civic engagement.
So what does civic engagement look like?
It could be many things.
Here are a few examples.
Organizing a voter registration drive,
hosting a town meeting,
or organizing a protest.
It could also be raising
awareness about community issues
through a blog or website,
helping others get the skills or resources
that they need to succeed,
or seeing a need in your
community and filling it.
I was on a hike last weekend
and saw a ranger station
that was built by an Eagle Scout.
That's a perfect example
of civic engagement,
Helping elementary school
students build reading skills
so that they can become strong
citizens is a good example.
So is volunteering to help
rebuild after a hurricane
or making sure that a
homeowner who's in a wheelchair
has a ramp to get in and out of her house.
So that's a very brief
overview of civic engagement.
Can you think of any other examples?
What does a person do differently
when they're practicing civic engagement
versus when they're not?
What forms of civic engagement do you see
in the communities you belong to?
