In 2018, 35% of young Americans were civically engaged compared to 81% of seniors and 55% of the country’s population as a whole. This drastic difference in numbers shows that there is a call for a greater number of Generation Z and young Millenials to turn out and make a difference. Here are some examples of the ways that people in communities across America are becoming civically engaged and making a difference. Whether you’re dedicating your free time to civic engagement or making it your career path, anyone can become civically engaged. Explore available opportunities through Net Impact’s Job Board!

Examples of Civic Engagement Efforts

College Campus Voting Projects 

Organizations like Campus Vote Project and DoSomething work actively to increase voter registration among young adults across the country. By actively attempting to identify and resolve issues for voter registration and policy knowledge, organizations such as these two are able to better educate individuals on the power that voting can have.  Campus Vote Project has advocated for inclusionary policies such as allowing students to use student IDs as a voter ID and creating a greater number of campus polling places to increase accessibility to voting. DoSomething has created boot camps to better support young people of color and underrepresented communities; these boot camps give students the tools necessary to run their own voter registration campaigns in their communities. 

Contact Local Officials

One of the more direct ways of expressing civic engagement is directly contacting local officials to talk about community issues. Finding out who your local official is can be quick and simple; creating a dialogue on what issues are present in your community can make these officials aware of what is occurring and prompt them to begin the steps for policy change. As these local officials represent and are voted in by the communities that they serve, it is important that they are actively making efforts to better the lives of their represented people. Some things you can do, especially during these times where in-person efforts are limited and on hold for the foreseeable future, are making phone calls or writing emails and letters.

Join an Organization or Movement

There are a countless number of organizations currently gathering individuals to join their respective causes. Organizations like  Up to Us and the Peter G. Peterson Foundation are working to empower college students with knowledge on the national debt and fiscal policy; through digital advocacy campaigns and signature drives, young adults are able to send a petition to government officials on the country's needs to properly address the national debt. Through collaboration with other like-minded individuals or an ongoing learning experience with someone with different views, organizations are able to bring people together. There is power in numbers. 

Skills and Education

Skills: Do you have them?

• Communication
• Management and Leadership 
• Knowledge about Policy, Current Events, and History
• Cooperation and Collaboration
• Mobilizing and Socializing 
• Commitment to Change

Education: Do you need a degree to be civically engaged?

While some jobs focusing on Civic Engagement may require an undergraduate or graduate degree, there are varying degrees of Civic Engagement that allow you to participate and make change regardless of your level of education.