Civic engagement strengthens community relationships

Key Takeaways

County government is often regarded as the most direct form of government to the people, making local civic engagement a pillar of our democracy. 

Civic engagement is the practices, principles and conditions that build an environment where people can interact with their community, coming together to make collective decisions that affect all residents. 

Although a community can be defined in numerous ways, at the local government level, each county can be considered its own community. Therefore, civic engagement at this level is central to the idea of county government and the creation of opportunities for every resident to become more involved in guiding their community’s future. 

Civic engagement in the local decision-making process promotes and ensures that equitable investment, conditions and outcomes are present within the county. Building on this idea, inclusive engagement fosters stronger community relations because inclusion makes all residents feel invested in the betterment of the county. 

Individuals can participate in civic engagement through voting, volunteering, joining a community board or attending county meetings. To some, the ultimate form of civic engagement is civic duty, also known as civil service or public service. Serving as a county elected official is a form of civic duty. 

 County elected officials occupy a unique position within the concept of civic engagement, because they are both engaged through the public service of their office and are also positioned to encourage and support county residents’ involvement. Elected officials have the authority to introduce and enact policies that allow for community input in the decision-making process, not just making the traditional political process accessible to the public, but opening new avenues for involvement. Likewise, elected officials who reach out and interact with their county residents are providing opportunities for engagement to their community. 

Civic engagement in action

Several counties offer high school students the opportunity to participate in a youth commission. Knox County, Tenn., for example, holds an annual junior commissioner program

“What we’re trying to do is break down the barrier of knowing what your local officials do, and if we can kind of give them a taste for what public service looks like, then I think the politics won’t seem as scary or unobtainable,” Knox County Commissioner Larsen Jay told County News in 2023.

“When you connect with them and that light bulb goes off and they realize, ‘Wait a second, this is my elected official standing here right in front of me — I have direct access to them,’ they realize that you can start nudging your community right here, right now, instead of waiting for some sort of big national ‘whatever’ that they’re never going to be able to touch on a scale of Washington and that sort of top-tier politics.”

One recent participant, Gabriela Sánchez Benítez, was chosen thanks to her proposed solution to a problem she saw in Knox County — the lack of a relationship between the government and community. She suggested the county support more nonpartisan events that offer general information about the types of county services are available. 

Other counties offer programs that give adults a look inside the workings of county government 

Rowan County, N.C. holds a civic leadership academy, which meets for eight Thursdays. The program aims to give 20 participants a better understanding of county functions and services, to improve communication between citizens and government, to explain current challenges facing the community and to foster relationships with county officials. 

Delaware County, Ohio, is one of many counties that offer a citizens’ sheriff academy. The program is designed to strengthen community relationships through education, shadowing and hands-on learning over the course of 11 weeks. Upon graduation, participants can volunteer for the Sheriff’s Office at various community events.