How I Served Someone Else's Community
I served my community by helping inform them about the political candidates running to be their state Congressmen. The Boulder Creek High School Politico Club put on this event and I was proud to assist them in coordinating the panel. As a volunteer with the club I worked closely with Ms. Duquette, a teacher sponsor of the club, as well as many of the other student volunteers to call candidates and persuade them to attend our event. Some candidates proved to be problematic due to scheduling, while others were quick to accept. Persistence and patience were paramount during this step of the process as it took several weeks, and several forms of communication, in order to get commitments from the candidates. I also spent a great deal of time preparing the questions for the candidates, along with other student volunteers and teacher sponsors. We worked closely in the library to research topics and create informed and unbiased questions to ask the candidates. Our questions received much praise from the candidates and they were impressed with the intelligence of the students at Boulder Creek. On the night of the panel, I helped set up the stage by arranging chairs and hoisting the Politico banner which I had helped to make with other members of the club. As people began to arrive to the event, I ushered them into the auditorium, handing out fliers and directing them to the appropriate seating area. The panel was a great success and the crowd was very involved, questioning the candidates further after the prepared questions had been asked. At the close of the night I helped clean up and move furniture from the stage back to the office. The experience was enriching and allowed me to grow as a politically aware individual.
Evidence.
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| All of us fly ushers doing work at the front door |
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| Headed back to the crib after a long day of political work |
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| Rein and I browsing the interwebs and researching to write the questions |
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| Me preparing for the usher aptitude test |
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| Cameron and I making sure that Frank is secure |
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| Cameron and I run this town and are watching out for perps |
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| Having a sit after a long day of Politico work |
What Is Political Participation?
Political participation is defined as the citizen’s right to influence public affairs (Klein 1). Citizens may participate in numerous ways such as voting in elections, joining a political party, participating in a demonstration or joining an advocacy group (Klein 1). These, and other forms of political participation, are paramount in the machine that is American politics. Citizens of America have the right to participate in politics so that they may promote a democratic way of life and maintain the federal system of government which provides their freedoms. In order for government officials to get fairly elected, the populace must be politically active and make informed, rational decisions. Many citizens chose to join a political party, such as the Democrat or Republican Party, to become more involved in local, state and national political dealings. By identifying with a party they are able to participate in presidential primaries and serve to clarify demographics. These individuals are much more likely to attend rallies and support candidates of their choice. However, there are many other factors that determine how politically active an individual is.
Having an education is the primary factor in determining someone’s political participation. As one’s degree of education increases, their influence and involvement in public affairs increases as well (“Political Participation” par. 4). This is because the sense of civic duty increases in an individual as they become more educated and versed in the effects of politics. But, education is not the only determining factor of one’s political participation. Older citizens are much more likely to vote than younger citizens, as seen by national trends. Unfortunately, voter turnout has taken a fall in recent politics, only to
be stimulated by sharp ideological choices or economic failures (“Political Participation” par. 4).
Compared to many other countries, America has a very low voter turnout but Americans are more likely to participate in politics by other means (“Political Participation” par.7). Many voters will call politicians concerning issues, although often personal, or join clubs or advocacy groups. America’s low voter turnout may be due to an overwhelming amount of political officials for which to vote, totaling an estimated 521,000 (“Political Participation” par.1). People have too much to vote for and are bewildered when it comes time to vote. This scares them away from the polls, befuddled by complicated and lengthy ballots.
By being politically active, citizens can benefit their communities and themselves in many ways. Political activity puts a spotlight on pressing issues and allows the public to better decide on the matter. For a democracy to be truly successful, the opinion of the populace must be accurately represented. This cannot happen if vast numbers of citizens choose not to vote. Without strong political involvement from a group of people, government officials are unable to determine what that group wants for themselves and may make uninformed, potentially harmful decisions. Also, government corruption can be reduced through political participation. The difficulty for a corrupt candidate to get elected into office increases as he is better exposed to his voters so that the voting body can make an informed and fully represented decision. Joining parties, going to rallies, or getting involved in clubs are all ways that people can include themselves in politics and spread and receive political ideologies and grow as knowledgeable voters in an effort to better their surroundings on a local, state and national level.
References
Klein, H. (2005, July 1). The Right to Political Participation and the Information Society. The Right to Political Participation and the Information Society. Retrieved December 2, 2010, from www.ip3.gatech.edu/research/Right_to_Political_Participation.pdf
Political Participation. (n.d.). Learn Social Studies and American History. Retrieved December 3, 2010, from http://www.socialstudieshelp.com/APGOV_Participation.htm
So What Did I Really Do?
My experiences while servicing my community were diverse and eye-opening. I gained a detailed knowledge of many of the hot-button issues that are prevalent in today’s society. By researching topics and developing questions I was forced to immerse myself into the topics of modern-day politics that I was before too timid to explore. In doing so, I began to better understand my own political ideology as well as the ideologies of others.
Contacting and corresponding with the congressional candidates proved to be an aggravating venture. I soon came to realize that politicians were just as difficult and confusing as they are made out to be. After contacting two candidates through multiple means of communication, I grew frustrated with their indifference to the situation. Luckily, with persistence, and help from Ms. Duquette, we were able to snare a few Democrats. I was fortunate enough to evade dealing with the republican candidates, who were much more infuriating during conversation. Being immersed in a political environment, I became much more versed in political happenings and our systems of government. Being around other students who were interested in politics sparked conversation between us concerning any topic that we were researching. This constant discussion developed my understanding of the topics and the platforms of the Republican and Democrat Parties. This experience finally drug me from the depths of my political ignorance and apathy as I began to challenge what I thought and grew to enjoy being politically active. Before all of this, I had no interest in politics and did not think much of its impact on my life. But now that I am no longer ignorant, I can clearly see the effects that local, state and even national political decision making has on my life. I have realized that it is grossly important that I am politically active in an effort to better myself, my state and my nation.
Through my political participation, I have reached out and affected other citizens of my community. The political panel put on by the Boulder Creek High School Politico Club acted as a conduit through which I extended my passion for politics to others and to increase their political activism on an individual basis. People that attended the panel gained a richer knowledge of the candidates that they were to vote for in the upcoming election. I helped to further these people’s education in their local politics by exposing them to a personal, intimate setting where they could advance their understanding of the candidates’ platforms. In doing so, I have helped to better these people’s ability to make an informed choice on Election Day. Unfortunately, a small number of people actually attended the panel and therefore I have minimally affected society. My impact on society was one of good intention, but it had a small impact. Society was positively affected by my actions because I helped to educate people on what they were voting for. Democracy is ineffective if the government’s decisions do not accurately reflect what the majority of people want. By increasing people’s understanding of the candidates, I have helped to preserve the intentions of democracy, spelled out by the Constitution. Therefore, I have fulfilled part of my civic duty to my nation. Political participation is vital to this country because without it the nation would be unable to understand what the people want and would be unable to make the proper decisions to move the country in the direction that the people want it to go in. The country may fall to corruption without the full representation of its people and my acts of civic service are in an attempt to prevent this.
