There’s a lot we could say about the last couple of months—a lot about wrongheaded predictions, and low voter turnout, and shock, and (in many quarters) dismay, fear and worry. But there’s something else that has emerged since the election of Donald Trump: Hope.
It’s not hope in the Obama circa 2008 sense, or even in the sense of America’s short-term prospects. But how else to explain the surge in civic engagement that has resulted since November 8th, if not as a hope borne of desperation? Thousands of riled up citizens across the country have woken up to a reality that has never been more true than now: The only way to make the right kind of change happen is to get involved, take a stand, and see it through.
And nowhere is that more important than in your own community. That’s why The Citizen put out a call to local Philadelphians asking for their civic engagement New Year’s resolutions—what they pledge to do to make their city better in the coming year. Interestingly, none of the answers we got were political. But all were inspirational, like one of the resolutions from Archna Sahay, director of Entrepreneurial Investment for the city: “What I am planning to do to make Philly better this year is to stay. Stay connected. Stay rooted. Stay vigilant. Stay active. I plan to continue to do the work here in this magical city that I call home.”
If that’s not a sign of hope, then what is?
For my resolution, I’m going to be a better, more engaged neighbor, to those I know already and to those I’ve barely met, on the theory that civic engagement, like charity, begins at (or near) home. Even thinking about it gives me hope for the coming months.
So as you celebrate the new year, take a moment. Think about the city, your city. And then decide what you’re going to do to make it better in 2017. What’s your civic engagement New Years resolution?
If you want to share it—because going public holds you to it, like announcing a diet on Facebook—tweet us your ideas at #CitizenGoals.
For inspiration, here are what some local citizens vowed to do for Philadelphia in 2017: