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INSTITUTE > SERVICES > CIVIC ENGAGEMENT
Civic Engagement
More and more, localities across the country recognize the value of
cultivating homegrown leadership. Informed citizens can assume
effective roles in their communities in many ways, for example, as
board or committee members, as elected officials, or as participants in
public deliberation.
In Virginia, there are several efforts
underway to motivate citizens, young and old, to enter civic life and
to prepare those who are ready to get involved.
➢Leadership Plenty—trains local leaders to work together and take action on behalf of
their communities. The Institute and Cooper Center are working with the
Southern Growth Policies Board and Pew Partnership for Civic Change
to implement LeadershipPlenty in Virginia and evaluate its
effectiveness. For more information on LeadershipPlenty—Central
Virginia, contact Nancy Gansneder.
Political leadership
institutes educate adults and youth interested in getting more involved
in the political process or considering running for public office.
➢The Sorensen Institute, housed at the University of Virginia, hosts five such programs:
- the Political Leaders Program,
a ten-month series of seminars during which potential leaders are given
a strong foundation in ethics, public policy and practical politics.
Three graduate school credits from UVA can be earned for this program
with additional work and tuition payment to UVA.
- the Candidate Training Program, a 3-day series of interactive presentations on ethics and campaign skills for candidates for office.
- the College Leaders Program,
an intensive, month-long civic leadership program that teaches college
undergraduates at Virginia colleges or universities about Virginia government,
politics and public policy challenges. Six undergraduate credits from
UVA can be earned for this program with additional work and tuition
payment to UVA.
- the High School Leaders Program,
a 2-week civic leadership program similar to the college program, but
targeted at high school students in Virginia who are at least 16 years old by July
1 or rising juniors. Students also earn three undergraduate credits from UVA for this program.
- the Danville-Southside Leaders Program,
a political and civic leadership for residents of Danville,
Pittsylvania County and Caswell County, N. C. The program is designed
to acquaint participants with the most important challenges facing
Virginia generally and the Dan River region specifically, and to
provide participants with the knowledge and skills to deal with those
challenges.
➢The Center for Politics Youth Leadership Initiative,
also housed at the University of Virginia, is a national civic
education program designed to involve students in the American
electoral and policymaking. K-12 teachers and their students—public,
private, and homeschool—are eligible to participate.
There are numerous other civic engagement initiatives throughout the country:
➢ University-based initiatives integrate teaching, research, and community service
Center for Community Partnerships at the University of Pennsylvania
Center for Community Partnerships at the University of California, Los Angeles
➢ Public Deliberation & Forums
National Issues Forums
bring people together to talk about important issues. They range from
small study circles held in peoples’ homes to large community
gatherings modeled on New England town meetings. Each forum focuses on
a specific issue, such as illegal drugs, Social Security, or juvenile
crime.
The forums help people of diverse views find common
ground for action on issues that concern them deeply. NIF forums are
structured deliberative discussions, led by trained moderators. Using
nonpartisan issue books, participants weigh possible ways to address a
problem. They analyze each approach and the arguments for and against.
➢ Other
National Civic League
The National Civic League (NCL) is America's original advocate
for community democracy. It is a non-profit, non-partisan, membership
organization dedicated to strengthening citizen democracy by transforming
democratic institutions. NCL fosters innovative community building
and political reform, assists local governments, and recognizes
collaborative community achievement.
Civic Practices Network
a collaborative and nonpartisan project dedicated to bringing practical
tools for public problem solving into community and institutional
settings across America. Partners—
AmericaSpeaks
Center for Democracy and Citizenship
Center for Youth and Communities
CIRCLE
Common Enterprise
Democracy Collaborative
Kettering Foundation
National Civic League
Pew Partnership for Civic Change
Study Circle Resource Center
National Coalition for Dialogue & Deliberation
a group of organizations and individuals and committed to continuing to
find ways to strengthen and unite the dialogue and deliberation
community.
The list above is
by no means definitive. It is meant only as a starting point for those
interested in the topic of civic engagement.
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CIVIC ENGAGEMENT