September is National Civics Awareness Month, a time designated to promote non-partisan citizen participation in programs, activities, and events related to civic awareness and to encourage continued acknowledgment of historical civic events.
Civics Awareness Month is not widely observed, but there are related activities that occur during this time. These activities include the observance of Constitution Day and Constitution Week and the conducting of voter registration drives in preparation for upcoming elections.
Constitution Day, also called Citizenship Day, is observed on 17 September (unless it falls on a weekend) to celebrate the anniversary of the 1787 signing of the final draft of the U.S. Constitution by the delegates to the Constitutional Convention. As part of this observance, any educational institutions (including colleges) receiving federal funding are required to hold an educational program pertaining to the United States Constitution on 17 September each year (this requirement took effect in 2005).
Naturally, civic awareness should not be limited to one day, one week, or one month. For a while, the study of civics seemed to be pushed aside in many school systems. Civics, a branch of social studies, focuses on the role of citizens and their relationship with their government. This includes studying how the system of government works and encouraging students to get involved.
Fortunately, there is a movement in many states, including here in New England, to focus better on civics instruction. One of the region's strong proponents of civics education is retired U.S. Supreme Court Justice David Souter, who resides in New Hampshire.
Encouraging civic awareness, whether for children (our future community leaders and participants) or for our current citizens is important. From our earliest days, this nation has strongly encouraged citizen participation in government. Unfortunately, it is easy to discourage people from contributing their ideas and even their votes. Yet, when people do actively participate, creative ideas to help solve community (and larger) challenges flow.
The National Civic League has observed that “Some communities allow the future to happen to them. Successful communities decide the future is something they can create.” Obviously, there are many factors at work that a community cannot control, but the community, and its members, can control how it responds to these challenges.
Related Resources:
National Civics Awareness Alliance
ICMA: Citizen Engagement: An Outgrowth of Civic Awareness (16 SEP 10)
ICMA: 2010 Municipal Year Book: Citizen Engagement: An Evolving Process
National Constitution Center: Constitution Day
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment