Introduction
Civic engagement refers to the individual or collective action intended to identify and respond to the public interest and concern. It includes all aspects of civil participation in regard to all issues or forums that pertain to the community in general. It basically deals with decision making, problem solving and governance in respect to the allocation of resources to members of the community in the right manner. This principle underlies on the fact that sovereignty is in the hands of the citizens. It may also refers to the rights of citizens in defining the public good, ways to deliver to the public as well as reforming institutions that are not performing as per the needs of the community. This therefore calls the public to work together for the benefit of all or the common good.
In the context of social capital, it relates to the economic benefits that are accrued to the community as a result of civic participation or civic engagement. It entails the creating employment opportunities where people get reliable sources of income to improve their standards of living as well as their economic status in general. The initiation of community based organizations leads to employment opportunities for the community members. Community participation may also lead to seminars which train and impart skills on the community members with entrepreneurial skills which helps them start and manage their businesses successfully. It has been noted that social capital leads to higher levels of democracy.
The growth social capital have an impact on health of the people this is because they will be able to access clean water and food, The public will also be able to access health and medical facilities which in turn improve their general health status. The money people gain from the development projects enables them to better their health status. Conversely, low social capital is associated with impairment of the health conditions where the people will be depressed and easily affected by anxiety related disorders.
The levels of social capital also have an impact on the quality of education as achievement in education in regard t the civic engagement. The members of the public may join hands to improve their social capital so that their children have access to quality education services. The members of the community should engage in community projects in order to elect leaders wisely as well as pressing them to use the resources of the public in a right manner. The improvement in education services will go a long way in betterment of the society.
The civic society engagement encourages citizens to participate in community service and working in partnerships in order to combine efforts in solving the problems facing the community. The civic societies help in the provision of training, technical assistance and assessing community health. The civic societies are usually involved in strategic campaigns to promote innovation in the building of the community as well as reforming the political systems of the in order to facilitate proper allocation of resources .The politics should be revolutionized in order to come up with systems that are responsive to the needs of the community which in turn boost the effectiveness of the local and national government.
The people who engage in civic activities have to make keen observation to some specific principles in relation to the community especially when issues of common interest are handled. The individual should listen carefully to the concerns, needs and aspirations of the members. This is done through interviews in order to get the sensitive information that relates to the people. This will help avoid conflicts and misunderstanding between the members of the society. The concerns of the people identified should be dealt with while giving priority to the most crucial and sensitive needs of the community. The leaders should therefore be remembered of these matters of concern and be pressurized to put measures in place to address them efficiently so as to avoid further deterioration of the issues of interest.
The people may engage the people who are already influential in the society or collaborating with new people to table and address these issues of interest and concern. This process should include the minorities in the community who have always been neglected. The mode of addressing the issues should recognize the general public. This is made possible through networking and cooperation of civil right activists with the community. Where an expert is involved, the information of the expert should be interpreted correctly to the language the public can understand.
In conclusion, civic engagement is of great essence in relation to social capital and capacity building in the society. This is made possible through participation in community projects and activities to ensure that they are productive to the society. The efforts are geared towards proper allocation as well as utilization of resources in the community. This is done through monitoring of the community projects in order to yield the desired results. The social capacity that results from civic participation enables the members of the community to live a quality life by accessing health facilities as well as quality education.
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