Civic Engagement

From ClimateNetworkWiki

Civic engagement is the participation by individuals and organizations in the solution of public problems. These individuals and organizations are collectively called civil society. Citizens engage to raise awareness, secure changes from our governance institutions, and directly solve problems.

This Knowledge Base page is dedicated to providing a foundation for citizens that want to make a difference for the climate through collective action with other citizens.

Who is engaging?

Civic engagement has evolved in the last few decades as civil society has grown spectacularly. Civil society, increasingly a globally significant power, includes large number of different organizations working on a huge diversity of causes. Networks of civil society organizations have changed the geography of politics by bridging traditional boundaries and connecting local initiatives with global organizations and awareness.

Inspiring Resources

WiserEarth, a website dedicated to improving the connections of civil society organizations, is one of the leading proponents of an understanding of these civil society organizations as parts of a huge social movement.

TheTyee is running a great series of articles on Citizen Engagement

Citizens Handbook, an online verion of the book by Charles Dobson on citizen engagement and community organizing

Clean Air Citizens Toolkit, developed by UVic's Environmental Law Centre

Community Projects Guide created by the federal government on how to start a community environmental project

Citizens Toolkit

How do ordinary citizens work together and with local governments to effect positive social and environmental change? What are the best tools and practises learned over the years by others on how to do this?

This online reference is being developed to help citizens learn more about local governments, jurisdictional issues and how to participate in decision- making and policy development. It also includes some references on good community organizing that can be used at the campus or neighbourhood level. Our focus is for people living within the Capital Region District, but our hope is the basic structure of the toolkit can be adapted and enhanced by groups in the network operating in different communities throughout the province.