Three Ways to Flex Your Civic Muscle

“Belonging and civic muscle” is one of the seven Vital Conditions for health and well-being that enables communities to thrive. It can manifest as a vibrant arts culture, healthy civic association, and the many opportunities for civic engagement – including voting. Communities where people know their voices are heard experience stronger feelings of social connectedness that lead them to healthier, happier lives. 

This November, communities across the United States will have the opportunity to vote in midterm elections. While voting is a crucial part of democracy, there are many ways individuals can flex their civic muscle year-round that produce greater health and well-being for everyone.

Participation in Faith-based Gatherings

Congregations of all kinds are places where communities can work together, reach consensus, and make an impact on the world around them. Their stewardship models often draw on pastoral, administrative, and worship leaders, as well as elders and volunteers to incorporate voices from many corners of a church, mosque, synagogue, or temple. Faith-based gatherings bring together people who might otherwise disagree, helping them work through shared issues, including political ones.

In season 2 of the Delaware Community Foundation’s How to (Not) Kill Your Community podcast, guest Rabbi Yair Robinson highlights how political movements such as the civil rights and labor movements often found their first homes inside religious institutions. In addition to platforming leaders speaking directly from the pulpit about belonging and equality, faith-based communities can provide physical locations for groups to organize.

Submitting Public Comment

Last month, the public comment period opened for a proposed change to the 2030 census, which HCD flagged in our October newsletter. The proposals to change the census would reduce residence criteria, in effect removing many immigrants from the totals used to calculate political power and ban questions on sexual orientation. Census data shapes congressional seats, Electoral College votes, and district maps at every level of government. 

Submitting a public comment gives citizens a way to voice their opinions on issues that affect their communities, directly or indirectly. Public comments hold government agencies accountable, help shape regulations, and create an official record that can influence policy or support legal challenges. In this way, the process gives everyone access to the machinery of power and decision-making.

Volunteering

Volunteering is civic participation in its most hands-on form. Voting and public comments let people weigh in on decisions, but volunteering lets them act on community needs directly, whether that’s serving on a board, helping out at a local food bank, or tutoring kids after school. One afternoon of volunteering won’t transform a community, but steady participation, multiplied across many people, builds trust and capacity that a community can draw on when it faces a hard problem.

While the number of Americans volunteering – and the amount of time they dedicated –dropped during the pandemic, new data from Gallup suggests that volunteerism has recovered with 63% of respondents saying they volunteered their time in the past year. 

When people foster belonging and use civic muscle, communities begin making better decisions that produce greater health and well-being for everyone. Since 2019, Healthy Communities Delaware has invested in and sustained projects that foster community connection in Delaware. Read the most recent grantee press release here to learn more about our shared stewardship.