Civic engagement activities play a critical role in improving the civic life and general well-being of a community. Common examples of civic engagement include voting, volunteering, and even participating in community gardening.
As governments increasingly strive to boost civic engagement, they often utilize government software solutions to streamline engagement, response, and communication, and even conduct remote meetings with members of the community.
What Is Civic Engagement?
Civic engagement involves promoting initiatives to improve the quality of life in society through both political and non-political procedures. Political activism, environmental activism, as well as community and national service, are all examples of civic engagement.
Why Is It Important That Local Governments Promote Civic Engagement?
Governments can increase the effectiveness, legitimacy, and transparency of their decision-making by engaging with the community. Civic engagement is also beneficial because it gives residents a voice in determining goals, policy, and values for their communities.
Civic Engagement Examples
A successful civic engagement campaign makes a difference in the community’s civic life, while also developing a combination of values, skills, and knowledge for local residents.
Consider these examples of effective civic engagement.
4 Civic Engagement Examples to Inspire You
1. City of San Gabriel Grapevine Guide
The City of San Gabriel mails the Grapevine Guide to residents’ homes each season. The publication includes information about community arts and recreation programs, upcoming events, city facilities, plays and performances, volunteer opportunities, and recreation classes for citizens of all ages.
2. Time Lapse Footage of Construction Project, Derby, Kansas
Derby, Kansas, came up with a fun and interesting way to promote civic engagement by showcasing the construction of a new park over time, and then condensed it down to a 1-minute time-lapse clip.
Not only does this excite the residents, it promotes transparency with the local government and demonstrates progress on projects to impact the community.
3. Citizen Emergency Response Training, Gadsden, Alabama
Gadsen’s Community Emergency Response Team, also known as CERT, trains community members in basic disaster response skills, including fire safety, light search and rescue operations, team organization, and disaster medical operations.
According to the CERT website, “Skills learned in CERT training will allow individuals to assist others in their neighborhood or workplace following an event in which emergency help is not able to arrive quickly.”
4. The Cajun Navy
As articulated in their mission statement, the Cajun Navy Relief’s goal is to save lives. The Cajun Navy is a group of volunteers who provide rescue and relief support during a natural disaster.
They use rescue and relief efforts to spread the South Louisiana cultural value of neighborly assistance to those in need. They’re able to operate as a force multiplier for organizations reacting to disasters by incorporating civilian volunteers into their Incident Command Structure.
Technology’s Role in Civic Engagement
In today’s digital-first world, government software solutions can facilitate faster responses, ease of reach, remote meetings, and better engagement with the community.
eScribe’s software provides a seamless, stress-free experience via tools and workflows to improve efficiency, transparency, and accessibility before, during, and after your community meetings.
With eScribe, participants can vote on proposals and speak on initiatives regardless if they’re present in person or attending remotely.
What Does eScribe Get Right?
eScribe’s meeting management software was developed specifically for the public sector. It provides an end-to-end meeting management solution to boost transparency and increase efficiency every step of the way. The software makes it easier to record and distribute government meeting minutes, and even integrates with many of your existing tools
Ready to learn more about eScribe? Reach out for a free demo, or inquire about pricing. And before you host your next remote meeting, check out our blog: Tips & Tricks for a Successful Remote Meeting.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why Is Citizen Engagement Important?
Actively engaged citizens hold the power to improve the effectiveness, accountability, and transparency of public institutions, as well as contribute creative solutions to community initiatives.
What Are the Barriers to Civic Engagement?
There are several barriers to civic engagement, such as:
- Lack of trust: Trust and engagement are mutually exclusive; one cannot exist without the other. As a result, a major obstacle to effective community engagement might be a lack of trust between the general public and those in charge of a project or service.
- Inaccessible technology: Technology is one of the common obstacles to community involvement, yet it’s also one of the solutions to improving civic engagement.
- Lack of awareness: Citizens won’t know about opportunities or how to get involved without communication from their local governments.
- Misunderstanding of citizen participation: Make sure to specify if the engagement involves planning and attending meetings, as well as the expected time commitment.
What Are the Goals of Civic Engagement?
Civic education’s main objectives involve supporting democratic and participatory governance and encouraging civic involvement to better the community.