The Importance of Civic Engagement
By Jade Smith & Ethan Fitzgerald
Despite the hardships our generation has faced, we have to recognize all that’s on the line for our future. Are we willing to stay silent in a time of need or are we going to raise our voices?
WHAT IS CIVIC ENGAGEMENT?
Tomorrow is said to be one of the most crucial elections in history as stated by multiple news sources and millions of ballots. This year, we have faced various issues and challenges, like Covid-19, climate change, and systematic injustice, which is what makes this election vital. Many of those issues have affected the way our society works and what will be in store. However, the election of 2020 will determine how those issues will be solved and that will happen through us.
If we were to pick a quote to portray what Civic engagement is, it would be a quote by Ruth Bader Ginsburg who said, “Fight for the things that you care about. But do it in a way that will lead others to join you.” But to sum it up, Civic Engagement is when you or a group of people address issues of public concerns. It’s the idea of getting involved, putting yourself out there, to make a change or difference in a community when one sees something that’s neither right nor fair. It’s something that’s personally impacted me, as I see it as a calling, that has captivated my interest, and has led me to meet a great deal of excellent people [Ethan Fitzgerald].
For RBG, she faced misogyny and despite being the only woman at the school she attended, she finished top of her class. She did not let the setbacks bring her down, instead, she used it to motivate herself and others to open the door of possibilities. Ruth Bader Ginsburg used her voice, despite the backlash she received, to bring attention to the issues faced at the time and people have been inspired by her and have taken those steps of strength. Without Civic Engagement, those events would have never happened, and we rarely are able to differentiate the past and the present.
If we were to pick a quote to portray what Civic engagement is, it would be a quote by Ruth Bader Ginsburg who said, “Fight for the things that you care about. But do it in a way that will lead others to join you.” But to sum it up, Civic Engagement is when you or a group of people address issues of public concerns. It’s the idea of getting involved, putting yourself out there, to make a change or difference in a community when one sees something that’s neither right nor fair. It’s something that’s personally impacted me, as I see it as a calling, that has captivated my interest, and has led me to meet a great deal of excellent people [Ethan Fitzgerald].
For RBG, she faced misogyny and despite being the only woman at the school she attended, she finished top of her class. She did not let the setbacks bring her down, instead, she used it to motivate herself and others to open the door of possibilities. Ruth Bader Ginsburg used her voice, despite the backlash she received, to bring attention to the issues faced at the time and people have been inspired by her and have taken those steps of strength. Without Civic Engagement, those events would have never happened, and we rarely are able to differentiate the past and the present.
HOW IS IT IMPORTANT?
Like we mentioned before, Civic engagement is important as without it where would we be? Due to it, we've overcome so much. Notably, look to the Civil Rights Movement that led to so much progress, and pushed us closer to equal justice and opportunity. Today, we need that same urgency, and action, to ensure the change we want to see, will become a reality. Just take a look at the number of ballots submitted the last election from that pie chart compared to this election from the Polling manager. According to John Couvillon, who is the founder of JMC Analytics and Polling, it is known that there have been 95.5 million votes cast as of November 1st, without accounting for last-minute votes for today and election day. With those numbers, they still are estimated to increase because of civic engagement and our generation’s voice.
From fellow teenagers like us, we both have a strong passion for politics and have been civically engaged. One of us has always been involved because of interest while one of us has never gotten into the civically engaged world until this year. It took others like youth from When We All Vote and events that have occurred to realize how the elections and politics as a whole determine how we live our daily life. For us, we both have the same drive of passion into being civilly engaged as the issues that have happened have impacted us personally and as a whole when being in the younger generation. However, there are no age limitations to civically standing up for what you believe in with the simplicity of a daily action that you use, and that’s your voice. We didn’t let our age silence our voices as our age only makes it stronger.
WHAT DO I DO?
Since we bring up involvement, part of our generation finds politics difficult to understand as it is a lot of information to take in. However, based on the When We All Vote video created by the San Diego Team which was later published in the New York Times, 1 in 10 eligible voters will be confirmed as Generation Z voters. Meaning, despite the amount of information involved in politics, we know that if we stand in the dark and keep our voices concealed, the election outcome could affect our youth in a negative way. So if you want to get involved here are some things you can do!
- Vote: If you are registered, use your voice, and if you are not of age, use your platform to tell others to vote
- Have conversations: Everyone’s voices are important and we need to remember that we are all wanting the best for the country that we live in. Hear each other’s perspectives so everyone is heard.
- Educate yourself: With those conversations, one perspective might not know something. By staying informed, you are not only opening perspectives but providing information to others that probably don’t know anything about the issues faced in the election.
- Join organizations and Campaigns: When We All Vote and My School Votes are some organizations that are lead by people of all ages from the youth like us to adults
- Sign petitions: change.org and wethepeopleoffice.com are some examples of petition sights :)
- Protest: Make sure you stay safe when protesting with masks
Podcast episode can be found here.
Ethan Fitzgerald is a Junior at San Dieguito Academy, whose been honored to be a part of When We All Vote, and who strives to be further civically involved through other organizations and passions. (@ethan_fitzz)
Jade Smith is a Senior at Madison High School who has been involved with When We All Vote since summer and has strived in getting the youth to register. She has been actively passionate about civic change while trying to make a difference. :) (@duh.its.jade1)
Ethan Fitzgerald is a Junior at San Dieguito Academy, whose been honored to be a part of When We All Vote, and who strives to be further civically involved through other organizations and passions. (@ethan_fitzz)
Jade Smith is a Senior at Madison High School who has been involved with When We All Vote since summer and has strived in getting the youth to register. She has been actively passionate about civic change while trying to make a difference. :) (@duh.its.jade1)