#civic-engagement

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Public health
fromwww.theguardian.com
4 days ago

We have to go out and touch people': how activism is tackling the US loneliness epidemic

Older adults and volunteers find renewed purpose, connection, and joy through civic organizing, strengthening personal well-being while advancing democracy and climate action.
fromPortland Mercury
6 days ago

V'Room doesn't equal Bedroom

Hey, noisy car guy, let me help you. I've had a wife, daughters, a mother, a sister, hundreds of female coworkers, a couple of girlfriends, a couple of hot neighbors. Not one of them has ever said, "You know, a noisy car really turns me on." Not one of them has ever said "I'd do anything for you if you had a noisy car."
Cars
NYC politics
fromwww.theguardian.com
1 week ago

At Zohran Mamdani's block party, I observed a simple truth: people want more politics, not less | Samuel Earle

Zohran Mamdani transformed New York politics by mobilizing mass public participation through festivals, events, job portals, and open conversations, rejecting neoliberal norms.
New York City
fromwww.amny.com
1 week ago

MAMDANI'S FIRST 100 DAYS: Mayor taps DSA organizer to lead new Office of Mass Engagement' amNewYork

Mayor Zohran Mamdani created the Mayor's Office of Mass Engagement with Tascha Van Auken as commissioner to centralize and expand public participation in city government.
fromSlate Magazine
1 week ago

Want to Protect Our Democracy? Here Are Three Key Mental Habits.

Goldberg quoted Leah Greenberg, a founder of the resistance group Indivisible, who said that while Donald Trump "has been able to do extraordinary damage that will have generational effects, he has not successfully consolidated power. That has been staved off, and it has been staved off not, frankly, due to the efforts of pretty much anyone in elite institutions or political leadership but due to the efforts of regular people declining to go along with fascism."
US politics
#local-journalism
fromSan Jose Spotlight
1 month ago
Media industry

Fact Brief: Are more people becoming homeless than are exiting homelessness in Santa Clara County? - San Jose Spotlight

fromSan Jose Spotlight
1 month ago
Media industry

Fact Brief: Are more people becoming homeless than are exiting homelessness in Santa Clara County? - San Jose Spotlight

fromThe Nation
2 weeks ago

Biden

In this time of unrelenting, often unprecedented cruelty and lawlessness, I'm grateful for readers like you. So many of you have taken to the streets, organized in your neighborhood and with your union, and showed up at the ballot box to vote for progressive candidates. You're proving that it is possible-to paraphrase the legendary Patti Smith-to redeem the work of the fools running our government.
US politics
US politics
fromwww.mercurynews.com
2 weeks ago

Letters: Best way to influence Congress is to tell them what you want

Constituents must clearly communicate policy requests to representatives and can collectively refuse labor or contracts to block unwanted local projects.
fromPsychology Today
2 weeks ago

Why Civic Engagement Is Good for Us

Research has shown there to be psychological and physical benefits to be gained through civic engagement-involvement in an activity that supports one's local community. Such activities include volunteering, such as working in a soup kitchen; fundraising for a nonprofit; participating in a charitable cause, such as a "fun run"; voting or supporting a candidate; visiting people who are sick; serving as a booster for a school's athletic team; organizing a neighborhood event, such as a potluck dinner; and taking part in an environmental cleanup.
Public health
#local-government
#contemporary-art
California
fromThe Mercury News
3 weeks ago

Cupertino seeks public safety commissioner

Cupertino residents can apply for a partial-term Public Safety Commission seat; teens can attend a holiday tote decorating workshop and a banned-graphic-novel book club.
Arts
fromHyperallergic
4 weeks ago

Taxes for Humans: A Radical Reimagining of Financial Empowerment

Practical, empathetic tax guidance enables freelancers, artists, and self-employed people to simplify tax tasks, maximize deductions, reduce stress, and strengthen financial and civic engagement.
fromwww.eastbaytimes.com
1 month ago

Vallejo mayor also a professor at Pleasant Hill's Diablo Valley College

At 39, she divides her time between shaping young minds as an economics professor at the Pleasant Hill campus of Diablo Valley College (DVC) and steering the city of Vallejo toward transparency, accountability and trust. It has been a challenge balancing the dual roles, especially because there is a lot of work to do in Vallejo, said Sorce, who says she wishes she had 40 hours in a day.
Education
US politics
fromwww.npr.org
1 month ago

Announcing the NPR Student Podcast Challenge for 2026 and a very special prize!

NPR's 2026 Student Podcast Challenge invites grades 4-12 to submit podcasts; a special America 250 prize explores 'life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness'.
fromBusiness Insider
1 month ago

A Koch-funded group is tapping star marketers for a $250 million push to 'reignite the American spirit'

The new effort, which has the tagline "Be the People," has enlisted a number of marketing heavy hitters in addition to its support from Stand Together, a philanthropic endeavor founded by Koch in 2003. It's led by Andrew Essex, the founding chief executive of creative agency Droga5 and a longtime media and ad executive. The organizers described the "Be the People" initiative to potential supporters as an apolitical effort to unite America, three people briefed on the plans in recent weeks told Business Insider.
US politics
Non-profit organizations
fromSan Jose Spotlight
1 month ago

Fact Brief: Is California's Great America in Santa Clara closing? - San Jose Spotlight

San Jose Spotlight is a nonprofit newsroom producing fearless, community-supported journalism that amplifies marginalized voices, holds power accountable and strengthens local democracy.
World politics
fromMedium
1 month ago

Building a digital democratic platform designed for civic matters

Modernising democracy requires shared participation, clear civic roles, and platform features that guide respectful, evidence-based contributions.
New York City
fromCity Limits
1 month ago

Opinion: Bring Back the Mayoral Transition Tent

The mayor-elect should recreate a public transition tent to gather resident input for staffing choices and practical implementation of campaign promises.
California
fromwww.mercurynews.com
1 month ago

Living safely with coyotes in Cupertino

Educational events in Cupertino provide guidance on coyote coexistence, League of Women Voters meetup, and a Native American cultural performance at the library.
fromBig Think
1 month ago

America already has the tools to heal division - we just need to relearn how to use them

We've mistaken expression for impact, conflating social media dust-ups with actual power. We've neglected the unglamorous work that holds societies together: governing, problem-solving, and cooperating across differences. My research shows that real change happens not in viral TikToks but in drab meeting rooms - the phones-down, notebooks-out work of local governance. It's there that we make progress and bridge divides.
US politics
#mass-protests
Brooklyn
fromBrooklyn Paper
1 month ago

Your nabe, your voice: Reynoso invites Brooklynites to apply for community board seats * Brooklyn Paper

Brooklyn residents age 16+ can apply to serve two-year volunteer terms on local community boards influencing liquor licenses, housing development, public transit, budgets, and services.
from48 hills
2 months ago

Drama Masks: Could the tide be turning? - 48 hills

As I started writing this, folks were heading to the polls for the first time in a long, terrible year. Hyperbole somehow failed us when the White House was (is still being) destroyed. Plus, everyone's Social Security numbers were stolen, the world's biggest anti-vaxxer wants to ban Tylenol, and SNAP benefits were frozen for the first time. Yeah, it's been that kinda year. Pandora's box has been opened and all the maladies therein have been unleashed.
San Francisco
Left-wing politics
fromTruthout
2 months ago

Russia's Invasion Has Hollowed Out Higher Education in Ukraine

Ukrainian students faced disrupted university life, increased safety measures, social isolation, displacement, and reevaluation of civic and educational roles due to the Russian invasion.
US politics
fromNon Profit News | Nonprofit Quarterly
2 months ago

"No Kings" Protests Open Doors to Civic Engagement - Non Profit News | Nonprofit Quarterly

An estimated seven million people joined global "No Kings" protests, mobilizing communities to defend democracy, immigrant rights, civil liberties, and civic engagement.
#climate-policy
fromwww.amny.com
2 months ago

Op-Ed | How Mamdani can be a class act for NYC students | amNewYork

A group of students, eager to explore the halls of power in Washington, D.C., found their path blocked by closed doors. But instead of sending them home disappointed, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, whose district includes parts of the Bronx, stepped in. She didn't just say hello to them she personally led them on a tour of the Capitol and turned what could have been a major letdown into a civics lesson they will never forget.
New York City
Mindfulness
fromAxios
3 months ago

"The Axios Show": Mel Robbins on staying under control in a world of chaos

Feeling overwhelmed by politics, AI, and digital noise is a healthy response; choose how to respond by settling, focusing, and taking constructive action.
fromHigh Country News
3 months ago

Give yourself a break - High Country News

Then the Goethe Lakes, Goethe Peak and what's left of the Goethe Glacier. This is the Glacial Divide, beyond which lies Evolution Valley, where I hiked as a 20-something on the John Muir Trail - a blissful 26 days beyond the range of communication, during which we carried everything we needed on our backs, along with a few things we didn't really need but wanted anyway. No one had cellphones back then.
Social justice
#democracy
Europe politics
fromIndependent
3 months ago

'Farmers are part of the solution to our problems' - Independent presidential candidate Catherine Connolly

Catherine Connolly emphasizes community and agriculture and credits messages for persuading her to run, reflecting an understated family approach to achievement.
fromwww.amny.com
4 months ago

Style Across the Aisle: Where Fashion Meets Civic Pride at NYFW | amNewYork

Style Across the Aisle In a city known for both its creative energy and its political passion, an event like Style Across the Aisle could only happen in New York. On Sept. 10, the grand hallways of the New York County Surrogate's Court will swap legal briefs for runway beats as over 30 bipartisan public officials model looks from local designers during New York Fashion Week.
New York Islanders
fromMission Local
4 months ago

Sure, cut S.F. commissions. But not my commission.

Now, as the task force starts to weigh in on the remaining 118 advisory groups, councils, commissions and other bodies, pushback has arrived. Alongside the Treasury Oversight Committee and Treasure Island/Yerba Buena Island Citizen Advisory Board, for instance, the Sheriff's Department Oversight Board was on Wednesday's chopping block, eliciting a bevy of soul-searching questions: Does the sheriff's department truly need its own oversight board? Can the board's work, perhaps, be folded into that of the Department of Police Accountability?
SF politics
Public health
fromFuncheap
4 months ago

Free Town Hall on Public Media's Future + KALW Live Broadcast (SF)

Federal funding cuts to public broadcasting threaten KALW's operational sustainability and the future of public media.
fromwww.amny.com
4 months ago

Wearing joy like sunlight: ACI 100's yellow debut at the Whitney Museum | amNewYork

Joy is not a hallmark sentiment; it is a method. ACI reframed joy as praxis: an ethic of presence, a chromatic strategy for healing, reminding us that celebration becomes civic muscle.
Arts
US politics
fromForbes
4 months ago

Inside Google's Plan To Use AI To Survey Americans On Their Political Views

AI could transform political polling and promote common ground in a divided landscape.
#public-safety
Bicycling
fromThe Mercury News
5 months ago

Cupertino Safe Routes to School hosts bike skills workshop

Bike skills workshop for middle school students on Aug. 10 at Cupertino Senior Center requires registration and guardian attendance.
US politics
fromwww.mediaite.com
5 months ago

Democrat Claps Back at Cory Booker to NYT After Explosive Senate Throwdown: I Don't Need Lectures'

Sen. Cortez Masto defended her record against criticism from Sen. Booker regarding their approach to bipartisan legislation amidst Trump's presidency.
#leadership-sunnyvale
fromwww.berkeleyside.org
5 months ago

Downtown fountain project called off due to clash between Berkeley and Indigenous artists

The Turtle Island Monument Fountain was originally designed in 1992 to feature a bronze snapping turtle representing Native Peoples across the Americas, but plans have been abandoned due to conflicts over credit and respect.
Social justice
fromPsychology Today
5 months ago

How Political Polarization Affects Our Mental Health

In today's America, people leave their jobs because their boss hangs the wrong flag in the office. Long-standing friendships end because a vote was cast for that other guy.
Mental health
fromThe New Yorker
5 months ago

Teaching Men Who Will Never Leave Prison

"Everyone ought to read all this in high school." A student expressed frustration over students not being exposed to critical historical texts and principles that inform governance.
Education
fromwww.mercurynews.com
6 months ago

David Gergen dies at 83; political insider served as adviser to four presidents

David Gergen, who served as a presidential adviser to four presidents of both parties, has died at 83 from Lewy body dementia, a brain disease causing Parkinson's-like symptoms.
US news
#architecture
#ybca
Photography
fromJuxtapoz
6 months ago

Juxtapoz Magazine - Preview: Joseph Cochran II: Public Work @ Swivel Gallery, NYC

Joseph Cochran II's exhibition explores photography as a tool for social practice, highlighting the importance of labor in civic life.
fromwww.amny.com
6 months ago

2025 Elections: Voters beat the heat as Primary Day sees record-breaking temperatures | amNewYork

Despite the extreme heat, New Yorkers showed impressive turnout for the 2025 primary elections, proving the city's dedication to civic participation under challenging conditions.
NYC politics
fromSan Francisco Bay Times
6 months ago

Sister Dana sez, "Participate in NO KINGS DAY..." - San Francisco Bay Times

"June 14th is also the U.S. Army's birthday—a day that marks when Americans first organized to stand up to a king. Trump isn't honoring that legacy. He's hijacking it to celebrate himself."
SF LGBT
Silicon Valley
fromwww.mercurynews.com
6 months ago

Letters: California leaders must help residents fireproof homes

Homeowners must prioritize fire-resistant features to combat ember-driven wildfires effectively.
Strong leadership is essential to address wildfire risk and support homeowners.
NYC politics
fromPolitics NY
6 months ago

Things to Know for the 2025 Primary Elections

New York's Primary Election features significant races, with early voting available from June 14 to June 22. Be informed about the candidates.
San Francisco
fromsfist.com
6 months ago

No Kings' Protests Set to Rabble-Rouse In SF and Nationwide Saturday During Trump's Military Parade

Nationwide protests against Trump coincide with his planned $45 million military parade, reflecting significant public dissent.
fromwww.hamhigh.co.uk
6 months ago

Sadness at death of Mayor of Primrose Hill' who championed homeless and vulnerable

"Once unofficially dubbed The Mayor of Primrose Hill, many of us will feel we have indeed lost our Mayor. There was no one quite like Phil to defend the values of our community."
London politics
Boston food
fromBoston.com
7 months ago

Local obituary: Carmen Pola, 86, Boston community leader

Carmen A. Pola dedicated her life to enhancing civic engagement in Boston through community activism and local government roles.
fromTime Out London
7 months ago

This beloved Hackney venue is at risk of closure

The Bath House stands as a living model of what's possible when local people are empowered to lead: a self-sustaining civic hub generating not just public benefit, but deep social wealth.
London politics
Boston food
fromBoston.com
7 months ago

Hingham student, who was the youngest U.S. judge, thinks young people should not be overlooked

Henry Buckley became the youngest male judge in U.S. history in 2023, inspired by 'The Andy Griffith Show.'
Liverpool FC
fromTheartnewspaper
7 months ago

Liverpool Biennial 2025 digs deep into its city's foundations with 'Bedrock' theme

Liverpool Biennial explores the city's foundational layers through contemporary art, emphasizing historical and ideological themes tied to its geography.
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