Kate Quick: Announcing An Engagement Which May Lead to Marriage

Recent postings on this site and attending or watching from home City Council and School Board meetings have led me to ponder why people, at the last possible minute, having bypassed other advertised meetings, written information, invitations to participate in decision making, suddenly arrive at a public body with the loud cry “Why were we not told!” Most of the time, they have had access to information for weeks or even months before but were not engaged in the community enough to read the local papers, look at postings on the web, or go to meetings.

Then, someone who is “engaged” tells them that there is an issue that may affect them and they need to rally ‘round the cause and “do something about it!” And so they join in and show up and are angry and distressed that some civic leader is trying to pull a fast one.

This same person, or group, many times has not done due diligence. The individual or group has not examined the facts, nor has it gone to the civic leaders hearing the matter in preparation for forming an opinion to ask them how they are inclined to vote, and why. They just show up, parrot the “facts” their source person has told them and threaten to put the office holder out of office if he/she votes against the will of the protester(s).

This is not civic engagement. It is not engagement at all. It will never lead to a marriage. It is the politics of ignorance and resentment. It builds nothing. It gains little, if anything. So, if this is true, why do people do it, instead of taking the harder, more fruitful road of staying abreast of what is going on, asking questions along the way, and finding out what is behind the agenda item in enough detail that they can formulate the pros and cons and decide intelligently how they wish to advocate?

No time. Boring. Didn’t know it was going to affect me. How do I know if what I read or hear is true? (This from the same people who come down to City Hall to yell at the leaders at a meeting when the neighbor has given them half the story; guess your friend/neighbor always has all the right facts, but the people we elect are all liars and deceivers.) Can’t understand what is written; too much jargon; don’t have the time/interest in picking up the phone and asking someone “What does ‘x’ Mean?”

What is the cure for this phenomenon? Civics. Teaching kids about civic engagement and how to be effective advocates for their point of view.

Why and how should we teach our kids about civics?

“Early on, children rely heavily on their families for ideas about civic participation and how it works (Hess & Torney, 1967/2009). In order to learn how to participate effectively within deliberative and policymaking contexts, students need considerable guidance and continual practice in order to modify their naive political and civic ideas. Students who are encouraged to ask questions, debate alternative actions, and gather evidence about the likely consequences of choosing one direction over others are typically less cynical than peers who do not have those experiences. Opportunities to engage in service-learning experiences also help prepare students for their adult responsibilities in participatory democratic cultures (Hahn & Alviar-Martin, 2008; Hess & Torney, 1967/2009; Kahne & Sporte, 2008; Metz & Youniss, 2005; Parker, 2008)”

From: “The College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Framework for Social Studies State Standards: State guidance for enhancing the rigor of K-12 civics, economics, geography, and history” (Draft 6/4/13)

A Young Leader on at a California courts event:

Kate Quick is a fixture in the League of Women Voters both locally and statewide. Her enthusiasm for local service has kept her busy and her energy for tackling new projects in unparalleled.  Her latest project included participating in the City of Alameda’s Other Post-Employment Benefits (OPEB) Task Force.