Tips for Staying Civically Engaged in the New Year

Inspired by Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor’s recent interview with the Aspen Institute, we want to offer some insights on how to move forward into this new year.  

“The Latina in me is an ember that blazes forever.” – Sonia Sotomayor ❕Also, I finally got around to creating an Etsy page. Link in bio 😉

A post shared by Tiff del Fierro (@tiff_oftheiron) on Jan 17, 2018 at 6:52am PST

• Get the younger generation involved

Raising kids to stay in tune with their community will help shape them into empathetic and engaged citizens in it for the long run. Consider introducing them to iCivics, an online program that offers free and fun lessons on civic knowledge and engagement. (Hey, we tried it ourselves and we like it.)

• Commit to productive, thoughtful arguments

We know—it’s a big ask. When you know someone is wrong, it’s hard to not cut them off. But try this once, or twice, and see if those you engage with are a little more receptive to what you’ve said.

• Engage with local politics

While national headlines may be eye-catching, local politics really matter. Support your local news outlets and learn the policy platforms of potential candidates so you don’t end up just voting along party lines (register here). AP News reported that 42 percent of state representative elections last autumn had no big opposing candidates. We say you should run. Yes, you.

• Join an organization.

It gets easier and more fun when you’re not alone. Activist Facts has a good list of organizations you can join.

• Pay it forward

“All of us who have been given the privilege of education, the privilege of knowledge, we have an obligation to pass it on, to pay it forward,” said Sonia Sotomayor in a recent interview with the Aspen Institute. “If everybody takes a little piece of every problem, it will go a long way.”