Civic engagement
Civic engagement is called the voluntary, not-for- financial benefits, the common good promotional commitment of citizens to achieve common goals. In contrast to the sovereign action by the authorities or the state where citizens take something into their own hands.
Civic engagement is a normatively and analytically blurred and ambiguous term that is used in different contexts of meaning. The now common use of the term includes the more specific terms such as volunteering, self-help, political participation, political protest, voluntary social work or volunteering and brings them into a conceptual context.
- 3.1 General social benefits
- 3.2 Special utilization in the municipalities
- 3.3 Summary
Definition
The civic engagement are associated with the following attributes according to the understanding of the Enquete Commission on " the future of civic engagement " of the German Bundestag:
Molding
The most common expression of this civil action are associations and civil initiatives. Frequently civic engagement takes place on the Internet: In social networks political and social views are started and disseminated by the users. Just recently bring Internet platforms helper with volunteer initiatives.
Clubs
Associations on the one hand founded to pursue common interests that do not serve the common good in the first place, but the mutual exchange and joint operation of like-minded in their leisure time, such as for sports clubs, migrant organizations, collectors clubs or animal breeding associations (for example, pigeon breeders association ) applies.
Other clubs have set themselves the goal of serving the general positive or compensate perceived deficiencies of public affairs through their own actions the club members. For example, the Red Cross from the voluntary commitment of a few citizens emerged and has developed over more than 100 years, the largest welfare organization in the world.
Citizen initiatives
The difference of citizens' initiatives to clubs essentially consists in the implications of enabling: Mostly it 's about to bring about a particular political decision (for example, the establishment of a kindergarten ) to avert or ( as the construction of a nuclear power plant ). In this respect, citizens' initiatives are almost always aligned politically.
Commitment on the Internet
To get involved in civic should be easier. So one must not necessarily join a club but can get involved civically on social networks such as Facebook and Twitter, by spreading positive messages. Internet platforms also help bring together workers with civic initiatives.
Benefit
General social benefits
Are citizens actively, it usually has a positive impact on society. Auto clubs, whose members come together solely for the pursuit of their own special interests (leisure clubs), reflect an organization that in some way provides support to its members. For clubs that are committed to social promotional purposes, this is reinforced.
Since most associations and citizens' groups are organized democratically, citizens learn also what " living democracy " is. Processes in the " high politics ", which are otherwise known to them only from the media, are here to experience at first hand; and as such the understanding of democracy and the need to targets through their own concessions to achieve diplomatic action, grow.
Specific utilization in the municipalities
Local governments can make to civil concrete resources available if they are given sufficient opportunities within their state action. A classic example are the fire departments that exist in many smaller communities as a volunteer fire departments. Here, enough citizens get together, their common concern is the damage prevention within their community. Find yourself but not enough volunteers together so the community can decide the formation of a duty firefighters and thus sovereign rely on the resource " citizens ".
The co-financing of school facilities by so-called Funding is based on the voluntary commitment of some, mostly personally concerned citizens. Often these clubs (which yes have on school equipment only limited impact because here the states are responsible ) by the local governments not only tolerated but even encouraged.
Since the 1990s, approaches have evolved over the classic club promotion out to promote civic engagement in communities in many ways. Nationwide attention is paid to the activities in Baden- Württemberg, where the Ministry of Social Affairs and the municipal associations in working together " country network Civic engagement " with numerous communities, cities and counties to develop a modern engagement promotion. Even in other states show up now similar aspirations.
With global action program Local Agenda 21 and in the municipal Local Alliances for the Family Citizen involvement is also integral to the concept.
Summary
The cities and towns are citizens resources than available, " which can afford the citizens themselves " if they are only motivated accordingly. Most common forms are community groups and associations; their activity is useful for the community in general, but can also be reversed under certain circumstances.