Sarasota can be a major role model for civic engagement

The world is becoming less democratic, and one reason is because people are less connected to one another. It is exactly this social cohesion that is the building block for a robust democracy.

The good news is there are concrete and practical ways to increase civic health.

Civic health measures the overall well-being of residents, neighborhoods and communities. Communities with strong indicators of civic health have higher employment rates, stronger schools, better physical health and more responsive governments.

This point was emphasized by civic health researcher Quixada Moore-Vissing, who was among the numerous civic engagement experts and advocates who participated in the recent Florida Civic Advance 2023 Summit.

Moore-Vissing said the foundations needed for a healthy civic life include:

● Places to gather and connect.

● In-person and online networks.

● Local leadership.

● Laws, policies and practices that are conducive to civic health.

● Friendly supports like child care and broadband access.

This “civic infrastructure” helps to strengthen both communities and democracy.

A first step to increasing civic connectedness is to measure the civic health of your community. It allows you to better understand the strengths and weaknesses of your community’s civic infrastructure, and then create strategies to increase inclusivity and collaboration.

One good way for a community to measure civic health is to conduct a Civic Health Index study, which involves taking information from the U.S. Census to develop a report on categories like volunteering, voting, trust in government, cross-group connections, resolving community issues and many others. In Florida, the most recent civic health study focused on St. Petersburg, and it was released in 2019.

Now’s the time for Sarasota to do a Civic Health Index study.

A Civic Health Index study would reveal how connected and engaged our residents are in the community and with local government – and we could see how that varied by age, race and geography. It would assess whether local government has done an effective job in engaging residents. And it would uncover the success rate of residents in initiating actions that bring about change in the community.

Once we are equipped with an up-to-date and complete picture of civic life in Sarasota, residents and organizations can explore how to strengthen the city’s civic health and make it more resilient to the forces that are diminishing democracy.

Fortunately, there are examples of success in other communities, both in Florida and across the country, that can be locally adapted. In Lexington, Kentucky, for instance, the CivicLex initiative has been successful in reconnecting residents to the public process of government and substantially increasing citizen engagement.

Matt Leighninger, director of the Center for Democracy Innovation, believes successful democracies create engagement opportunities that are regularly held – weekly or monthly – and highly social. They help emerging resident leaders step forward and get support, and they empower people to make an impact when addressing a community issue or concern.

Social cohesion helps form the backbone of democracy, and we can nurture it in Sarasota by conducting a Civic Health Index study.

Tim Dutton is a Florida Civic Advance board member.