Campaign for Stronger Democracy

It has been a big week for new reports from the democracy field, with four new ones being released. These reports and websites examine how voting, volunteerism, public participation, youth involvement, education and civic engagement as a whole can impact communities and serve as the cornerstones of American democracy.

A more civically engaged community, as noted in NCoC and CIRCLE’s study (right), not only better weathers an economic recession, but also creates better governments. When people vote, volunteer, and work in groups with others in the community, not only is democracy in better shape, but through networks created from civic participation, unemployment rates can remain more steady. The collaboration between NCoC and the Corporation on National and Community Service below tracks these engagement activities.

Civic education and involvement start from a young age, as the Campaign for the Civic Mission of Schools and Institute for Local Government reports highlight. A well educated and engaged populace should not be exclusively limited to “adult” populations, and to make sure of this, local institutions must involve youth in the decision making processes, and schools must also make sure that students are well prepared to participate in civic life from a young age.

Click “read more” below to see a summary of each individual report and find out how we can all work to create a stronger democracy –

• The National Conference on Citizenship and CIRCLE (the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement) released “Civic Health and Unemployment: Can Engagement Strengthen the Economy?” this morning. The report finds a link between civic engagement and a healthy economy, noting that areas with a more civically involved citizenry were not hit as hard by the economic downturn between 2006 and 2010. Under the civic engagement umbrella, the report looks at rates of voting, public participation in meetings and community events, volunteering, and public service, which serve as some of the cornerstones of American democracy. Where these metrics are healthy, economies are healthy, and governments start moving in the right direction as well.

• The Campaign for the Civic Mission of Schools has released a report, “Guardian of Democracy: The Civic Mission of Schools,” a follow-up to the organization’s 2003 report. It notes that civic learning has declined in American schools at the k-12 level, and outlines proven practices in civic learning on which every school should focus (these include classroom instruction, discussion of current events, extracurricular activities, school governance, and simulations of democratic processes). The report also provides policy recommendations to advance civic learning that can be undertaken by everyone from citizens, parents, and school administration all the way to federal policymakers and philanthropic donors.

• The Institute for Local Government has issued “Involving Youth in Your Agency’s Sustainability Activities,” a report on youth engagement with local governments, particularly on the issues of climate change and energy. The white paper looks at the impact of youth boards and commissions in some California cities, youth involvement in public meetings, and creating programming geared toward a younger audience. The report compiles a fairly comprehensive set of resources to use when thinking about and developing youth involvement strategies.

• The Corporation for National and Community Service and the National Conference on Citizenship have collaborated on a new website, Civic Life in America, which provides data on the civic health of the nation. The website tracks voting data, volunteerism, and the rates in which Americans are working together in groups and with their neighbors.