Community Participation
Civic Engagement
Civic engagement involves “working to make a difference in the civic life of one’s community and developing the combination of knowledge, skills, values and motivation to make that difference. It means promoting the quality of life in a community, through both political and non-political processes” (Erlich, 2000). Civic engagement includes both paid and unpaid forms of political activism, environmentalism, and community and national service (Michelson et al, 2002).
Volunteerism
Volunteering is one form of civic engagement. Volunteering has many positive impacts on the volunteer including:
- Social recognition– Volunteer activities bring together people who might not otherwise have contact with one another
- Better health– The positive effect of volunteering on physical and mental health is due to the personal sense of accomplishment that an individual gains from his or her volunteer activities. in general, volunteers report greater life satisfaction and better physical health than do non-volunteers, and their life satisfaction and physical health improves at a greater rate as a result of volunteering.
- Improved self-esteem– Volunteering creates the sense of self worthiness and instills self esteem. It gives the very important feeling of being needed as through volunteering somebody is offered help, which is by itself a very rewarding experience for the helper.
Some volunteer opportunities in our area:
- Catholic Charities
- Friends of the Plattsburgh Public Library
- JCEO
- Literacy Volunteers of Clinton County
- Pine Harbor
- Salvation Army
Community Involvement
Getting involved and participating in community events is not only enjoyable but it is also helpful and helps students feel connected to their community. Students who have many interpersonal connections are less likely to feel isolated and depressed.
Community events happening in our area: