Home
Focus Areas
About Us
Support for Voting and Civic Engagement
CIVIC ENGAGEMENT: FOUNDATION OF DEMOCRACY
Empowering Individuals and Communities Through Civic Engagement
What is civic engagement and citizenship and why is it important for AmeriCorps members to increase civic engagement competencies? Aren't members civically engaged by virtue of their commitment to service?
Defining Active Citizenship To begin, there are many ideas and definitions of civic engagement. Most definitions include, in some form, at least three key components. Consider this definition from The State of Service-Related Research. The Grantmaker Forum on Community and National Service
Citizenship or civic participation consists of behaviors, attitudes, and actions that reflect concerned and active membership in a community. This includes the more traditional electoral citizenship activities, such as voting, serving on nonprofit boards or school boards, as well as less traditional forms of political participation, such as community organizing and social activism. It includes participation in small neighborhood-based efforts and the larger national and international movements.
Behaviors, attitudes and actions. These are the common principles of citizenship and civic engagement. Voting, serving, organizing and social activism are all expressions of active citizenship. And, while many individuals associate citizenship primarily, or solely, with voting, active citizenship clearly encompasses a broader range of involvement.
Active citizenship is about personal and community empowerment. Voting is a part of that package of empowerment, but only one part. Service is a part as well, but only a part. For individuals and communities to access legitimate power to promote and protect their interests and rights, they must also be able to serve, organize and to take action. By accessing as many sources of civic empowerment available, individuals and communities can impact their own lives, and the lives of others, in a significant way.
Voting alone is usually not sufficient. Service, by itself, is also often inadequate. Or organizing. Or even social action. But together they components of civic engagement can be very effective in not only addressing needs but also affecting change.
Well-trained AmeriCorps members can be significant influences and resources in helping facilitate an expanded awareness of active citizenship and civic engagement.
Roots of Active Citizenship Active citizenship has a strong tradition in this country dating back to its earliest days. In fact, the principles of active citizenship are embedded in this countryŐs founding document, the Declaration of Independence. This document outlines the fundamental rights extended to all individuals. The presence or absence of these rights is often referred to as social justice. To better understand the concept of active citizenship as expressed through civic engagement, one simply needs to reference the founding document that holds both a promise and a mandate.
Source: Corporation for National Service
Foundation and philanthropic support for voting in support of civic engagement from around the Web.
Stacey Abrams isn't a climate activist, but that didn't stop the Democrat from giving a talk on climate change at the New School last week. "My vision is that we move this out of voting, simply...more
Foundation: Community Foundation of Sarasota County
There are nearly 750 nonprofit organizations in Sarasota, Manatee, Charlotte, and DeSoto counties in Florida, providing everything from health and youth services to education and the arts, per a new...more
If you live in Long Beach, Calif., and want a piece of public art, you have until July 8 to vote. That's when residents will be able to choose from three design options from 27 local artists for...more
Jane Fonda was a no-show at last night's Hollywood Climate Summit, but she still gave a stirring speech on the importance of voting. "And I know that last night was not a great night for Joe...more
An Atlanta-area gas company is putting its money where its mouth is. Gas South has selected six nonprofit organizations as finalists for its second annual Impact Investment Award, in which the...more
"If you want to feel better, if you want to get over that darkness and despair, go take some action," says Washington Gov. Jay Inslee on a recent episode of the podcastVolts. "Any action will...more
"These prestigious awards celebrate the efforts of Pennsylvania high school students to register their eligible classmates to vote and to hopefully launch them on a lifelong habit of voting,"...more
The winner of Vermont's "Beats for Good" high school music contest will get to open a big music festival in July, the AP reports. The National Life Group Do Good Fest will feature Fitz and the...more
House Speaker Mike Johnson says noncitizen voting poses a "clear and present danger to the integrity of our election system" and is pushing a bill that would ensure only US citizens can vote, the...more
Want to boost your chances of winning an election? Just read a few local news stories about aging infrastructure. That's the message from a new study out of Duke and UCLA that found voters were...more
Social Enterprise Network Sites
Social Entrepreneurship
Spotlight
New Age of Philanthropy: #GivingTuesday
A part of a series produced by The Huffington Post in celebration of #GivingTuesday, which will take place this year on December 3, Kathy Calvin and Henry Timms vouch that we are living in a new era of philanthropy.
