Civic and democratic engagement is about making a difference for the public good: challenging the present and enriching the future, as the University of Michigan's mission statement puts it. Our democratic system needs people to be engaged in it, and that engagement helps us to build the trust, relationships, and skills to identify the problems and seek the solutions that make our society better (Ehrlich 2000)
We were drawn to our fields by big questions and exciting answers - by what our field can contribute to the world. Civic and democratic engagement is part of that work, and like our individual fields, it takes learning and practice to do it well. Many college-age students don't have much of that learning or practice, but studies show that encouragement from trusted adults and peers makes a significant difference in young people's civic engagement (Andes et al 2020; Bennion and Nickerson 2016; DellaVigna, List, Malmendier, & Rao 2016; Gerber and Rogers 2009), as does a campus and environment that is itself civically engaged (Thomas and Brower 2017). By incorporating civic and democratic engagement into your classroom or program, you help your students see themselves as an active participant in the world and learn how to do so in thoughtful, effective ways (Wilson 2022).
These resources suggest a number of possibilities - from information to activities to assignments - for how to incorporate civic and democratic engagement in your course or program. Take time to explore!
