CIVIC PARTICIPATION AND/OR ENGAGEMENT, IMPORTANT PRIORITIES FOR

OUR NATION

INTRODUCTION

In this essay, it will be pointed out that citizen participation constitutes a type of socio-
political relationship, as a set of institutional devices or the logic of social
organization, because they can be conceived as a space for interaction,
communication, and differentiation between the state and the social system. This
also represents a powerful tool for citizens so they get involved with the government.

It is also proposed that said socio-political relationship, whose function is the

permanent regulation of the supposed conflict in the definition of public issues and
the political-social agenda itself, is a characteristic of contemporary societies (in their
senses and orientations) for normative notions derived from the meanings of
democracy and the category of citizenship itself.

AMERICA’S TRANSFORMATIONS THROUGH THE YEARS

During the decades of the last century, America has undergone a process of
profound transformations of different kinds. One of these great mutations,
undoubtedly, consisted of the expansion of democracy as a worldwide government
option.

In this scenario, not only a series of conditions forced us to rethink the basic spaces
and institutions for the political-administrative organization of the State, but also a
set of social conditions drove society towards the construction of new associative
forms and of autonomous social solidarity that demanded the opening of public
spaces and, therefore, the relevance of citizen participation in the consolidation of
representative democracies was emphasized.
On the other hand, the consolidation of this form of government no longer depends
only on citizens freely exercising their political rights, but also on their involvement
in the different areas and stages of public work, to reach a point of union between
the presiding government and the citizens.

In this context, without a doubt, the deployment of various citizen participation

projects, sponsored from various fields and actors (social and/or political), has
become a constant in shaping the relations between rulers and governed.

The objective of this work is not to expose or describe a particular experience. On

the contrary, its objective is to discuss the discursive, theoretical and methodological
references from which these participatory processes have been analyzed regularly.

Now that the elections for the next year are approaching, it is very important to make
citizens approach the political sphere and begin to make civic participation so that
they exercise their right to vote and therefore their commitment to the nation.

CIVIC EDUCATION: CORNERSTONE OF CIVIC ENGAGEMENT

The civic education of all citizens is very important, as noted by Reiss who said,
“Many experts say that having citizens who understand what it truly means to be
informed and involved in a democracy is something that they’ve been championing
for years” (Reiss, 2012, p. 58).

The need to strengthen the organization and social participation has been historically
highlighted in the field of education, particularly from thinking and progressive forces.
Today, participation permeates all speeches, nationally and internationally, and has
become assumed as a flag also from states and international agencies.

However, this consensus is more nominal than real, as it remains more attached to
a rhetoric field than to the facts, and is based on restricted conceptions of both
participation and civil society (usually reduced to non-governmental organizations)
and education.

Promoting the active participation of all citizens through the knowledge, discussion
and practice of democratic and civic values as a norm of coexistence should be the
primary objectives of education promoted by the government.

Through a proposal of an educational quality among younger people, the

consolidation of civic and political values within the citizenship must be sought, with
the participation of civil society in the promotion and understanding of civic culture
as a citizen exercise.

LEARNING FROM THE MISTAKES OF THE PAST: THE DEMOCRATIC

CONTEXT TODAY AND HOW TO CHANGE IT

As stated by Comstock and Goldman in their essay “Civic Agenda and the New
Agenda for Democratic Reform”, “2008 was a year in which candidates on all sides
inspired voters across the country. Not just Barack Obama but also Hillary Clinton,
Ron Paul, Mike Huckabee, and Sarah Palin galvanized the energy of the American
people” (Comstock and Goldman, 2009, p. 63).

We have to return to this context again, and make people feel more attracted to the
political environment of the country because today we found ourselves immersed in
a democratic context in crisis, because of the lack of commitment from citizenship
due to the lack of a candidate that they feel more attracted or identified.

To achieve this regression to the status that we want, we must understand

democracy and democratization as a conflicting process, which requires a historical
look, focused on the actors that did a lot of things for democracy, and to be analyzed
deeply and effectively to reach a point of understanding, with which we can raise
awareness among people.

Democracy as an expression of the organization of political power has been seen

by contemporary political theory as a reference of modern societies, however, that
notion is under observation. To that end, I insist that it must be understood as a
historical movement, which over the years has changed until it becomes what we
know today.

There is no doubt that democracy is known as an expression of the liberal state, one
which is subjected to serious questions that make it necessary to rethink its
conception since these problems end up pushing away citizens, as they may feel
overwhelmed or intimidated by the current context of the Politics and democracy.

FINDING BETTER WAYS TO IMPROVE CIVIC PARTICIPATION

Citizen participation is all about empowering people to take control of their own lives,
keep looking for solutions to various problems they face, and get involved in politics.
In other words, it is about allowing ordinary citizens to express themselves so that
they are not excluded from political and democratic processes.

But to achieve this goal, an effective way to make people approach democratic
processes must be found, and achieve a higher rate of citizen participation and
commitment. Reaching people from social media may be a very good way since a
lot of Americans interact with many social networks daily, it is a viable participation
tool because it's used practically by anyone in the country.

Another way could be citizen collaboration for various neighborhood projects, since
even the younger members of the community, like kids and teenagers, can
participate and be taken into consideration as valuable members and don't feel
excluded anymore. In this way, dialogue and the pursuit of shared objectives are
promoted to reach solutions that everyone can take advantage of.

The latter is very relevant because of the tendency to create social categorizations
and exaggerate inter-group differences. The participation of every member of the
community could act as a protective factor against the development of prejudices
and consequent discrimination, because every single individual will be lending a
hand, making stronger the sense of unification.

Every word said in the paragraphs above, serves as an example to appreciate that
there are many ways to make citizen participation a priority in the nation, without the
need to force people to get involved in a process that they may never want to be part
of again. Great progress can be made if people are made aware from a very early
stage in their lives as noted earlier in this essay.

BACK TO SQUARE ONE, EDUCATION AND YOUNGER AUDIENCES ARE THE

KEY

Strengthening the educational system with various tools that teachers can use in
their classes, is an action that should be applied in all schools of the country, as
noted by Reiss in a fragment of his work; “Teachers are required to teach civics-
related content in the language arts curriculum of all grades. The new law requires
students starting middle school to take a semester-long civics class” (Reiss, ibidem).

These civic classes can reinforce the capacity of making decisions among young
people, as sharing opinions in front of a group and having ideas heard and validated
by the rest of their classmates can contribute individually to a greater sense of
security and determination, which will cause in a near future that getting involved in
democratic affairs isn't something to be afraid of.
CONCLUSIONS AND THE ROAD AHEAD

The future may look a little dire with the present status of democracy and civic
participation and engagement as noted by Comstock and Goldman:

“It remains to be seen how well the new administration will live up to its commitment
to creating a more open and participatory government. Champions of participation
in our federal agencies, though encouraged by the Open Government Directive,
know that well-intentioned initiatives from the White House can often have
unintended consequences” (Comstock and Goldman, ibidem, p. 66).

Yes, it looks unappealing to get involved in political affairs these days, but we must
try to overcome that fear and engage in civic participation.

If several of the points mentioned in this essay are achieved, a new way of
generating a dynamic of participation among all citizens will be born in the United
States, promoting the empowerment of citizens and adding the necessary synergies
to ensure that the level of participation among them is stable and very constant over
time.