What is “civic engagement?”

Through my work in city government as a council member and in my role as controller at the Kansas Health Foundation, I have learned that civic engagement is more than just voting, serving on a jury, or attending a public meeting.

To me, it’s taking any action in your community to make it better.

That’s how I approach my role as a city council member as well as an employee of an institution focused on bettering public health in our state, and it is the lens through which I make decisions.

How Decision are Made

I know from personal experience that, from the outside looking in, it can be challenging to understand how decisions are made and how policies are designed.

Before being appointed to the Andover City Council in 2023, I thought government had more flexibility than it does when it comes to decision-making and policy change, but there are rules we have to follow. There are laws, infrastructure and procedural constraints that sometimes prevent us from making decisions in the way we would like for the communities we serve.

Learning and understanding these processes and rules has made me more empathetic toward how difficult it can be to implement policy change.

Sometimes, there are no great solutions to the challenges we face as communities, but there are “good,” “better,” and “best” solutions. As a city council member, it is my responsibility to analyze policy recommendations and ensure that we make the best possible choices to benefit the people we represent.

For me, when I am looking at making decisions, I have a “Health” framework that I run through, thanks to my work at KHF.

• Does this policy decision have short-term effects on people’s health?
• Does it have long-term positive or negative implications for the health of the community?
• Is this a decision that is best for both the health of the community as a whole and its individuals?

I take it as a personal responsibility to help the people I represent understand my decision-making process and the city’s procedural processes, so they can use their voices most effectively in advocating for change to improve their communities.

Why Relationships Matter

Civic engagement and understanding improve when government representatives build and cultivate relationships with the people they serve.

There’s a wide variety of issues that are important to people in a community, and my role as a city council member is to ensure they are heard and to determine if I can take any action to help from my position. It’s also an opportunity for me to learn more about the challenges they’re facing and to help them understand the role the government plays in addressing those issues.

Getting to know your local government officials is one of the best ways to understand how your community is being shaped by policy.

More than that, getting involved with causes you care about – as well as the people advocating for them – is one of the most effective ways to shape those policies.

Recently, KHF hosted FuseKS – a convening where advocates for food security came together to develop a blueprint of tactics not just to adapt policy but to shape it with the goal of reducing hunger in Kansas.

What Civic Engagement Is

We often put too narrow a definition on “civic engagement” when all it is is doing your duty to help your community – and there are a million different ways to do that.

I challenge all of us to reflect on the position we hold in our lives, what we do day-to-day, and consider how we can use our position and our purpose to help our communities. Whether that’s volunteering at a local food bank, donating clothing to a children’s home, or using our voices to bring awareness to the issues and policies that mean the most to us.

What does civic engagement look like for you?

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