How To: Engage in Active Citizenship

by Apathy is Boring — March 31, 2010


Getting involved can seem overwhelming and tricky at first given the vast amount of organizations, causes, and paths to get involved.
However once you get started, being politically engaged can be a super rewarding and fun learning experience.
We're here to help you orient yourself, and decide where to start. In general, there are two paths to becoming an engaged citizen:  participating from within or outside our existing institutional structures.

Participation From Within

Activities which take place within the existing political structure, meaning state institutions.These include:  
•    Political Parties:  Political parties are a great way to enter into the political fray. For example, you could be active in your riding and work to support a local candidate.There may also be opportunities to work on the national scene and promote and work for party leaders (see "How to Become a Member of a Political Party").

•    Federal Parties: These are the big boys and there is always room for one more volunteer on the campaign trail.  

•    Provincial Parties:  Even though parties could have associations on both the federal and the provincial scenes, each is an independent association.

•    Municipal Politics:  These politicians represent the immediate interests of municipalities, like water quality, garbage removal and much more. (see "What Does Your MP Do?")

•    Chambers of Commerce: Local chambers of commerce are also great places to contact to find out about different opportunities on the local scene.  

Participation from the Outside

"Outside" here refers to outside the formal structures of the governmental system.  Good places to start include:
•    Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs):  These are made up of coalitions and movements whose members are made up of other organizations or NGOs
       and decentralized movements. These organizations can be less institutional and more informal (meaning no offices or websites and most often small budgets).

• Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs):  These are made up of coalitions and movements whose members are made up of other organizations or NGOs

       and decentralized movements. These organizations can be less institutional and more informal (meaning no offices or websites and most often small budgets).

• Protest Groups/Events:  Sometimes groups or movements will develop for a single time or for a specific campaign.  Sometimes, social actions (protests) or events will coincide with a special day, such as international women’s day.  

•    Single Issue Groups:  Sometimes groups exists to highlight one specific issue. They build their entire analysis and campaign solely around this issue, such as abortion or the legislation of marijuana.  

•    Community Organizations:  These can take the form of small or local initiatives they may or may not have any formal affiliations or institutional basis.  Community organization is often one of the most fulfilling types of organizing as it allows you to interact and get to know your neighbours and the people you see most often.    

Check in your community to see what is offered (e.g. youth centres, a mission or a homeless shelter, or possibly a site of support for the disabled or elderly).  In this type of work, mentoring is often involved and the transfer of skills is an essential aspect of the work. 

Now that you're familiar with how to get started as an active member of your community, keep these helpful tips in mind:

1) Don’t be intimidated (So you're new - You’ll eventually learn the ropes and earn your stripes)

2) Volunteer (Sometimes the best way is to start slow and find something that you are really dedicated to and stick with it. See our article "How To: Volunteer" )

3) Check your local school/university job bank for postings (Organizations often post opportunities here)

4) Be patient

5) Contact the government

6) Ask Friends (Ask your entourage about what interests them and what issues they are passionate about). Also, check out " Points of Departure" another article on Apathyisboring.com to get a gander at a number of organizational, group, and individual efforts.


Sources:
CharityVillage Main Street
Volunteer Canada

 

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