Discussion and Reply to Two Peers-principles for civic engagement
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, civic engagement is “the process of working collaboratively with and through groups of people affiliated by geographic proximity, special interest, or similar situations to address issues affecting the well-being of those people. It is a powerful vehicle for bringing about environmental and behavioral changes that will improve the health of the community and its members. It often involves partnerships and coalitions that help mobilize resources and influence systems, change relationships among partners, and serve as catalysts for changing policies, programs, and practices” (CDC, 1997, p. 9).
The National Coalition for Dialogue & Deliberation asserts that there are seven core principles for civic engagement:
- Planning and preparation
- Inclusion and demographic diversity
- Collaboration and shared purpose
- Openness and learning
- Transparency and trust
- Impact and action
- Sustained engagement and participatory culture
Source: (Atlee, 2009)
An example of successful, community engagement was the formation of the Jefferson County Historical Society (now known as the Evergreen, Mountain Area Historical Society). In 1973, concerned residents of Evergreen, Colorado, realized that even though their town was rapidly expanding due to interstate highway access, they were losing touch with the past. As a result, a group of citizens organized the non-profit, historical society; and then the historical society petitioned the county to purchase a historical dwelling that was home to one of the town’s founders. Renamed the Hiwan Museum and managed by both the county and the historical society, residents can tour the facility and learn about Colorado’s pioneering days. In addition, the Evergreen Mountain Area Historical Society continues to “protect, preserve, and promote the history of Jefferson County” (EMAHS, 2019).
Yet, organizing civic engagement is not always easy. There are obstacles which have to be overcome, which is why persistence and passion for change are needed.
Directions: Using the required, academic readings, and supplemental academic research, please address the following while adhering to the Discussion Board Rubric:
- Why is civic responsibility important?
- What are the barriers to civic engagement?
- How can citizens overcome these barriers?
- Has the Internet and social media helped or hindered civic engagement?
References:
Atlee, T. (2009, May 1). Core Principles for Public Engagement. Retrieved from http://www.thataway.org/files/Expanded_Core_Princi…
EMAHS. (n.d.). Evergreen Mountain Area Historical Society. Retrieved from https://jchscolorado.org/
Principles of community engagement. (1997). Washington, DC.
Respond
Civic responsibility is the participation from citizens to work in a community to make it better. This participation is important because it leads to greater civic pride and responsibility, and sustained community wellbeing (“National Civic League”, 2017). There are many barriers to civic engagement. According to Dave Meslin in his video “The Antidote to Apathy”, the seven barriers are the city hall, public space, the media, ‘heroes’ (how we view leadership), political parties, charitable status, and our elections (Meslin, 2019). There are also unconscious barriers to community engagement, these being learned helplessness, locus of control, functional fixedness, and the bystander effect (Powell, 2014).
Citizens can overcome these barriers by redefining the lack of interest in engagement as a complex web of cultural barriers that reinforces disengagement, by clearly identifying what the obstacles are that we have from including ourselves in civic engagement, and lastly, work together to dismantle those obstacles in our way (Meslin, 2019). I like the way that Meslin talked about these three solutions because it sounds simple, and easy to understand for me. Internet and social media have created a new way for citizens to engage in political matters, especially those who are younger. Sixty-seven percent of Americans who are within the ages of 18 and 24 engage in social network sites related to political activity in some type of way. However, only thirteen percent of Americans who are sixty-five and up have only participated in social networking (Smith, 2013). Although social media and the internet may be a greater deal to the younger generation, they have created a new window for Americans to participate in civic engagement.
References
Why Civic Engagement Matters. (2017, October 13). Retrieved from https://www.nationalcivicleague.org/why-civic-engagement-matters/
Smith, A. (2013, April 25). Civil engagement in the digital age. Retrieved from https://www.pewinternet.org/2013/04/25/civic-engagement-in-the-digital-age/
Respond
Why is civic responsibility important?
Civic responsibility is important because American policies are designed to be driven and shaped by the people. When America declared its independence, the entire purpose was to escape tyrannical leadership and rule which took away the freedoms of citizens. So it is important that over 200 years later, American citizens continue to shape and mold our democratic laws so that not only the elites benefit from government oversight, but that the majority of citizens also benefit.
What are the barriers to civic engagement?
From personal experience, civic engagement may be difficult because many people may not always know what policies are being proposed by our elected leaders and policymakers. Many people don’t have access to this information and may not know how to access it. So, this inhibits some access of civic engagement. Another potential barrier is the possible bias expressed in many mainstream media outlets and trusted experts. Psychologist Jonathan Haidt has stated that many “Colleges and universities have long skewed liberal biases” and “Some faculty members have even admitted that they would not hire someone with outspoken conservative views” (Haidt, 2020). This is an issue because it may be difficult for citizens to know what is factual, and what is just biased one way or another politically.
How can citizens overcome these barriers?
Citizens can overcome these barriers by fact checking everything. There are many biased or opinion-based news articles that may or may not be true. It is important that all citizens find the source of the issue and make the determination themselves one way or another. America has a reputation of allowing the people to decide how our country operates, so it is important that the American people are well-educated and make decisions based off facts whether than a journalist or so-called experts opinion.
Has the Internet and social media helped or hindered civic engagement?
I believe that in many ways, social media has made more and more Americans aware of issues and policies in our country, which is a good thing that helps civil engagement. However, social media has also given many people a platform, and perhaps swayed civil engagement in a negative way. Many groups believe that social media has “censored them.” An example of this is when YouTube demonetized a pro-LGBTQ group for sharing their beliefs on the YouTube platform. The LGBTQ group is actively suing YouTube for this dispute (Dickson, 2019). By censoring opposing views and ideas, social media is certainly hindering the advancement of civil engagement, because not all voices are allowed to be heard by the public, so an entire section of American citizens are not being heard.
REFERENCES:
Civic Duties, Civic Virtues, and the Barriers to Effective Citizenship. (n.d.). Retrieved November 25, 2020, from https://www.americanbar.org/groups/crsj/publicatio…
Answer preview:
word limit:588