Civic Engagement Model

Civic engagement creates change by allowing individuals to work together to bring about change in various ways by addressing social issues. In class, we discussed the four stages of civic engagement: pay attention to what’s around, talk about/get involved, reflect on the meaning of the conversations and experiences and stay involved/bring change. Seeds of Hope incorporates this model of civic engagement by working to create community gardens in Los Angeles and make residents more conscious of what they are eating.
Seeds of Hope has approximately 20 community gardens throughout Los Angeles. The gardens were originally affiliated with episcopal churches but they have started to expand to catholic churches and synagogues. Many of the sites are
They organization has a positive impact on the communities they engage through their community involvement and free programs. This is the ultimate purpose of civic engagement. The gardens provide people in the neighborhoods with a place to meet, create new hobbies and even receive free healthy food. The garden at St. Simon’s episcopal Church, for example, yielded 500 pounds of free food for the community in its first year. This gave many people who cannot afford fresh produce from supermarkets access to nutritious ingredients. From leading kids in Grub Club, I saw that kids and parents progressively took the new knowledge and incorporated it into their routines. We always began Grub Club by talking about what we ate for breakfast and dinner and whether or not ewe exercised. At the beginning of the week, children and parents would admit that they had not neaten enough fruits and vegetables. They would also admit that they had not exercised. As the week progressed, more and more children would share stories of having eaten healthier meals with their families and the ways they tried to fit e ways they tried to fit exercise into their schedules. Although this organization aims to cultivate healthy eating habits in neighborhoods where healthy food is scarce, it is also fostering a sense of community among residents. In Echo park, Seeds
In non-profit organizations such as Seeds of Hope, the participation of donors and the government plays a critical role. Seeds of Hope operates through a grant provided by the City of Los Angeles. Like other non-profits, donors also provide can also provide resources such as seeds and plants or volunteer to ease the workload of the staff members. Community members that attend the events put on by this organization and students, such as the ones in this class, help make this organization successful. Change through civic engagement requires participation from a variety of social networks. This makes the work of organizations such as seeds of Hope harder because they have to engage a variety of people with no guaranteed results. However, civic engagement also empowers communities in ways that traditional organizations and governments do