Editor’s note: This commentary, by Southern Vermont College President Karen Gross, was written in response to an article in the National Journal entitled, “Civic Engagement Can Help Millennials Get Jobs” by Fawn Johnson.
[I]t is true: Our young people are not civically engaged at the levels needed to nurture our democracy. The data on voting levels do not bode well for civic participation in the future. Within correspondent Fawn Johnson’s column, there are several suggestions for ways to improve the situation. And her suggested efforts are all beneficial. Importantly, they cut across party lines; they appeal to state leaders across the nation. They foster improved employability of college graduates.
However, civic engagement efforts cannot be “add-on” programming. These suggestions and accompanying programs do not address the need for the massive systemic change needed to make civic engagement a reality across the educational continuum and throughout our communities. Civic engagement needs to be deeply integrative, offered as part and parcel of pre-K-20 coursework and through non-classroom activities. “One-off” events (like working over the holidays at a soup kitchen or building a Habitat for Humanity home) are wonderful examples of community effort but they are not necessarily “sticky” enough for those involved.
The challenge is how we can infuse enduring civic engagement across the lives of young people. This requires a paradigm shift. In a recent report issued by the Education Commission for the States on which I participated, we need vertical and horizontal integration of civic efforts across the educational pipeline.
There is no panacea but here’s one approach that could raise our national levels of civic engagement: Have campuses, K-12 schools and communities collectively address ONE critical social issue over a period of several years – across the disciplines, among all age groups and all socio-economic levels. Over time, communities could share their results with each other – so as each topic was tried, it would be informed by pre-existing efforts, thus moving the proverbial ball forward.
If we leverage the talent we have and channel it into addressing a single social issue within a community, we accomplish several goals.
Let’s say the chosen topic across the community was obesity. Campus-based food services could adjust their menus to provide healthier meals, and community members could be invited to campus for meals, including with a nutritionist present; a campus could start a community garden with foods that would be shared at the local schools (an idea suggested by Southern Vermont College’s incoming President David Evans); students studying health care could learn about and offer educational programming in the local community about the profound impact obesity has on health; economists on and off campus could describe the costs of obesity in our health care system and workplace; athletes at all levels could work with seniors to improve their health. Local supermarkets could offer specials on “healthy” alternatives; local press could issues weekly stories on the topic; science faculty could study and issue reports on metabolism or other scientific research issues keyed to obesity. Students across the disciplines could craft and lobby for needed legislation to address obesity such as tax incentives for restaurants that serve healthy food; added taxation on sugary drinks; ban on soda in public school cafeterias. The local hospital could provide coaching for prospective parents – about their own weight and that of their children. Students could interview local and state candidates on their positions on obesity and hold forums on campuses for communities to learn more about the candidates’ positions. Research papers, op-eds and policy statements would be issued based on the community results of its efforts.
If we leverage the talent we have and channel it into addressing a single social issue within a community, we accomplish several goals: we engage students with each other and their community; we increase the knowledge and information about critical topics across the nation (or the world); and we move the needle forward in terms of addressing and ameliorating what ails our society. That would be civic engagement in action and what better time for that than now as cynicism is rising among us all.
