Community is just a word representing all the people who share a certain space (online or offline). In the offline world, people are getting so disconnected from their neighbors and local matters, mostly out of the apathetic belief that, with so many issues, a single person can’t make a difference.

This is, of course, not true, but if a person is too discouraged from trying, they will never figure this out. So, how do you turn this tide? How do you promote civic engagement and convince people they shouldn’t give up on their local communities or even wider issues? Well, here are four ideas that should help.

1. Debunk the myth of not making a difference

The first thing you want to do is explore the reasons why people are failing to engage politically to begin with. Now, one of the primary reasons is the idea that they don’t make a difference. Take voting, for instance; with thousands, hundreds of thousands, and millions of votes cast for each candidate, what difference does your vote make?

The first thing you need to do is explain why it does make a difference.

First, you could try FOMO. Show them what outcome abstaining from voting leads to. Tell them to try remembering situations where they let other people decide.

Then, list a few examples of scenarios where a few votes determined major issues. You don’t have to look far in Australian history to find a suitable example. In 1999, the Goods and Services Tax legislation was passed with a final result of 38 votes to 37 votes. In other words, the election of a single representative could have swayed this legislation either way.

The result was a 10% consumption tax on the vast majority of goods and services across the country.

2. Start from a young age

It’s incredibly hard to instill things like civic duty or belonging to a community in a fully-grown adult. It’s by no means impossible, but it’s definitely a lot harder than if you were to do this at a young age. This is why school outreach programs are so important.

This is the simplest and the most organic way to expose young students to new revolutionary ideas. It can spark curiosity in fields kids would have never been exposed to.

One of the most important things about these programs is that they improve education. Kids with means have access to many organizations and facilities that other kids would never be exposed to. Through these outreach programs, you can bring education to the student’s doorsteps instead of waiting for things to happen the other way around.

These programs are usually interactive and pragmatic. Traditional education often lacks hands-on experience like experiments, roleplaying, brainstorming, and a healthy dose of competition.

Another consideration is the closer collaboration between an educational institution and the local community. While this may not seem that critical, it can improve the overall relationship toward education in the local community.

Lastly, through collaboration with some of the best experts in the field, you can expose these kids to the thoughts of some of the most esteemed experts. What would Alexander the Great be if he didn’t have a chance to listen to Aristotle in his youth?

3. Promote volunteering

Like the first example, you must show people that volunteering makes a difference. Take before/after photos or use some stats.

The key thing to remember is that there are many different ways to volunteer. The best way to ensure you won’t regret it is to pick something you care about. The cause makes all the difference. For instance, volunteering at a dog shelter isn’t as fulfilling if you’re not a dog person. You’re still helping living creatures and doing something objectively good, but it’s not the same.

While donating is an amazing way to spend money, volunteering is probably a higher form of giving back. Sure, donating is virtually donating your labor (converted into currency) but using your free time to give back directly is a more direct form of altruism.

You want to lead by example and encourage others to join. However, you cannot skip the first part of this sentence. You must first sacrifice your own free time and labor.

Remember that this is a social occasion and a chance to earn social credit (which is not an idea with as negative a connotation as some want it to be). Social credit is one’s standing in the local community. If you could raise it by engaging with the community, it’s hard to see a fault.

4. Leverage the power of social media

Social media are a phenomenon that has received much criticism as of late. It’s also one of the scapegoats when hypothesizing about how people have grown apart. However, it doesn’t have to be this way. It’s a tool like any other. Therefore, you can use it for good or for bad.

Social media can let everyone’s voice be heard. One of the biggest reasons people feel disconnected from society is that they don’t believe their opinions carry any weight. Social media can become a platform for expressing one’s beliefs directly and loudly.

Previously, we’ve talked about earning social credit this way. It will be much easier to do so via social media. You’ll have a chance to show the people the direct effects of your engagement, which might encourage others to take action.

Social media can also become a platform for open dialogue. This is especially the case when it comes to the local forums. People need to understand that the opinions of their neighbors (even if they disagree completely) matter more than the opinions of complete strangers from half a globe away (even if they share opinions).

You should also go beyond social media. Make and promote a site, and even invest in SEO to increase traffic and visibility.

Wrap up

Overall, civic engagement is related to every single aspect of our lives. This means that promoting it makes a difference, one way or the other. There are too many examples of how a single person can make a difference for anyone to claim otherwise. Never settle on the status quo.