Utica Observer–Dispatch
September 17, 2010
AT ISSUE: Civic involvement can be critical factor in determining who we are
Perhaps the stepchild of national observances is today — Sept. 17. In the scheme of things, what happened on this day is right up there with many of our other national occurrences, although it’s rarely universally discussed.
On this day in 1787, 39 men signed the Constitution of the United States of America. Alexander Hamilton was the signer from New York.
Observe this day by making a commitment to become more civically engaged in your communities. After all, citizenship is a key thread in the Constitution, whose opening words — We the People — pretty much sum up what it’s all about.
How do you become more engaged?
Volunteer. A report released Thursday found that last year saw the greatest spike in volunteering since 2003, with almost 1.6 million more Americans serving their communities. You can do that in a variety of ways — from serving on a school board to lending a hand in a community cleanup project.
Become a resource. Everyone has expertise in something. Make it known in community circles, at church, in your neighborhood and elsewhere that you are willing to provide advice in areas of specific knowledge.
Consider elective office. Good candidates always are needed, and those who get into it for the right reasons can help uphold the principles in the Constitution at any level of government.
Know your government. Answer the accompanying sample questions from a naturalization test given to people who wish to become U.S. citizens. Knowing how your government works can make you a better citizen, too.
Vote. It’s one of our most precious rights.
The report released Thursday came from the Corporation for National and Community Service, the federal agency overseeing volunteering and national service programs in the United States, and the National Conference on Citizenship, a congressionally chartered organization with the goal of strengthening America’s civic health. In addition to noting the spike in volunteering last year, it also said:
** Even in tough times, more than half of Americans — almost 58 percent — directly helped their neighbors at least once a month.
** The Internet is helping to advance civic participation in America. People who live in a household with the Internet are more likely to be civically engaged, and people who access it from another location, such as work or a library, are even more likely to be get engaged.
** Those that have more frequent social contact with others are more likely, in general, to participate in other aspects of civic life, such as participating in service and electoral and non-electoral political activities.
** Demographic findings show that veterans are generally more involved in their communities and more likely to engage in most types of civic behavior than non-veterans.
So, become a statistic. By engaging in civic life, you are engaging in democracy.
Happy Constitution Day.