Blog
You searched for "online engagement"
Show current entries »


It's Finally Summer: Time to Heat Up Civic Engagement
Posted by Katie James on June 21, 2012 at 02:52 PM CDT

Happy Summer!


139569873


Yesterday’s solstice marked the official start of summer, and it sure felt like it here in Chicago. We’ve been feeling the heat in the city for awhile now, and we’re happy to finally have the season match the temperatures. We’re even more excited for the opportunities and free time that summer can bring.

Here at the Institute for Policy and Civic Engagement (IPCE) at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), we are committed to helping citizens find ways to engage with the policymaking process and current social trends. We believe that an informed citizenry increases engagement in our democratic system and creates a more responsive government. That said, it’s not always easy to find information that is relevant, accessible, and, let’s face it, interesting. Sometimes it’s difficult to relate a cause to our personal well-being and find meaning in an issue that doesn’t directly affect us. It can also be hard to decode the encrypted language that makes up so much of our government documents and data; even harder is finding and accessing this information, which is not always open to the public. Probably most common, however, is the pervading sense of boredom that has latched on to anything government- or policy-related. But how is our government benefitting you if you remain detached and uninvolved?

CivicSource is dedicated to combating these three issues of disengagement by motivating you to become an informed, participating citizen. By visiting our web portal regularly and following us on Facebook and Twitter, you’ll have access to the latest news regarding community and government efforts to increase civic engagement. You’ll see success stories, bold ideas and initiatives, and even matters of concern that might rile you up and instigate reaction. And see, just by READING these stories, you are a concerned citizen who is using the coupled power of knowledge and information to participate in our democracy. Engagement doesn’t always have to be active, outward shows of involvement. Simply sitting down to learn what’s happening in our government and across the country in local communities is a great way to stay up-to-date on policy and community issues.

I’m pretty sure, however, that it won’t be long before you run across that one story that hits close to home and challenges you to take the next step and lend your efforts to a cause. For those ready for action, CivicSource has plenty of ways for you to engage locally or nationally with issues that inspire you to help create a more equitable democracy. When you get involved, you’re creating a two-way flow of communication that is telling our governing institutions you matter and you want to be heard. And that is the best outcome of civic engagement efforts: creating a responsive government that is held accountable for its actions.

One of the biggest challenges to overcoming disengagement is simply finding the time to participate. Work, school, and family life can easily get in the way of extending our interest into and beyond our communities. Summer, however, is a great time to begin building our capacities as engaged citizens. The sunshine makes us feel more energized and longer days can mean more time. Some may have summer vacations that allow even more room for an active role. This is great and you should definitely take the opportunity to volunteer your time and effort to an issue that inspires you. Yet time off during these hot days is not the reality for many. This is why CivicSource is a great resource. It only takes five minutes to read a post and share your thoughts on Facebook or Twitter. You can do it at work on your lunch break, on your phone when you’re on the go, or right before bed when you have settled in for the night. Reading, learning, and communicating with others are all great tools for building an informed citizenry, so let this summer inspire you to start.


Katie James
IPCE staff member

keywords





2012 election
2014 election
action
action
activists
alderman
Americans
apps
archives
art
artists
author
book
budget
budget
campaigning
charity
chicago
Chicago metro
cities
citizens
citizenship
city
city council
civic data
civic education
civic engagement
civic hacking
civic infrastructure
civic learning
civicsource
civil rights
climate change
collaboration
collective action
college
college affordabilit
communication
communities
community
community college
community health
community organizing
competition
Congress
connectivity
Constitution
conversation
Cook County
corruption
CPS
creativity
criminal justice
crowdfunding
crowdsourcing
CTU
culture
CUPPA
data
debate
decision
deliberation
deliberation
democracy
development
dialogue
dialogue&deliberatio
diaspora
digital divide
digital media
digital technology
disabilities
documentary
e-democracy
e-gov
economy
education
elected officials
elections
employment
engaged learning
entrepreneur
environment
equality
ethics
farms
film
FLOTUS
food
food banks
food deserts
forum
gay marriage
General Assembly
gentrification
global affairs
GOP
government
governor
grassroots campaign
gubernatorial electi
health care
health care reform
heritage
high school
higher education
history
HIV/AIDS
holiday
homelessness
house of representat
human rights
ideas
illinois
immigration
impact
important numbers
inequality
infographics
information
innovation
innovation
Internet
interview
IPCE
IPCE
issues
k-12
Latinos
laws
leaders
leadership
learning
lecture series
legislation
liberal arts
library
lobby
lobbyists
local govt
map
mayor
media
mental health
middle class
military
Millenials
museum
NATO
neighborhood
news
news
non-profit organizat
nonprofit
Olympics
online engagement
open data
open government
parents
parking
participatory budget
PBChicago
philosophy
placemaking
police
policy debates
policymakers
politics
Pres. Obama
president
problem solving
protest
protesters
public
public data
public office
public participation
public transit
Puerto Ricans
questions
quotes
radio
recycling
referendums
reform
representatives
research
roundtable
school board
school closings
school districts
schools
segregation
senator
seniors
sequester
service
service
small businesses
social change
social media
solutions
SOTU
speech
Springfield
states
STEM
stories
storytelling
strike
students
Supreme Court
sustainability
taxes
teachers
technology
technology
teens
TIF
town hall meeting
transparency
UIC
university
urban planning
USA
veterans
violence
volunteer
voter registration
voting
wards
Washington D.C.
web
web development
White House
women
youth
YouTube


ARCHIVES

September 2010
September 2011
June 2012
July 2012
September 2012
October 2012
March 2013
June 2013
July 2013
August 2013
April 2014