Essay On Civic Engagement

Many times we as Americans do not think about the effect that civic engagement brings to the country. We do not think that being active in the community will not only help us but also our children and our children’s children. Robert Putman wrote about the effects and difference that civic engagement has done over time. In this analysis I will summarize both of the analysis and talk about the different arguments and my own experiences in civic engagement. In the first article by Robert Putnam, Bowling Alone, he talks about the decrease in civic engagement throughout the years of American communities in specific population (i.e.) the older and younger people. He showed the different data using charts and statistical numbers and percent to show how the civic engagement has deteriorated in different areas for example; in attending club meetings, religious services in the communities and even in just face to face interactions with others in your own community. In
I used to go every summer to programs in the city parks and every morning we would clean the community for example going around the block picking up trash. For us it was a competition, since those who picked up the most trash would receive a price. During middle school I was also doing community service but not as much anymore since playing sports took most of my time. But once in a while I would volunteer for the Houston Food Bank, packing food packs for those in need. During high school I became the President of one of the organizations called The Humane Club. In this organizations, the other officers and I, would gather different students from the school and gave them community hours if they would go out with us and clean out the communities. We would all go out into the community and paint houses of people who were already old, we would cut their yards, and do any hard work they couldn’t do due to their