New program teaches civic involvement -- South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com August 9, 2007

Search South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com Web enhanced by Login or register Subscribe Today Classifieds Place an ad Find a job Find a car Find real estate Find an apartment Shopping Dating Pets Weather Traffic News Broward County Palm Beach County Regional/Florida Cuba/Americas Nation/World Help Team Legislature Education Health & Science Multimedia Gallery Local Video Corrections Blogs Opinion Obituaries Sports Business Entertainment Features Travel Resources Florida Lottery Hurricane HQ Find a restaurant Movie times Horoscopes Calendar of events Webcam Newspaper Services Get home delivery Subscriber services Work at Sun-Sentinel Advertise with us Buy photos Buy back issue Contact us New program teaches civic involvement July 30, 2007 Article Tools E-mail Print Single page view Reprints Reader feedback text size: By DeeDee Rasmussen A recent Sun-Sentinel headline succinctly described a dismal outlook on our future — "Voter turnout slumps among young people in Florida" (Sun-Sentinel, July 22, 2024) — and the accompanying news story showed just how serious the problem is. Between 2002 and 2006, national voter turnout in the 18-29 age bracket increased. But Florida had 40,000 fewer young voters in 2006 than in 2002. This decline led to an abysmal young voter turn-out that revealed the fourth largest state in the nation, the fourth worst at inspiring twenty-somethings to engage in the democratic process.Pundits and researchers alike have looked for the reason behind this slump, but there is no silver bullet. In Florida, a confluence of factors has influenced this downward spiral in civic engagement. Even worse, voting is only part of the battle. According to a national Civic Life Index — 12 civic engagement indicators that include volunteering, neighborhood engagement, voting and civic infrastructure — Florida ranks 45th in the nation. A 2005 statewide survey by the Florida Bar found that more than 40 percent of Floridians could not correctly identify the three branches of American government or define the concept of "checks and balances."

But amidst all the statistical gloom and doom is hope. Research shows that this trend can be reversed and our state has begun to adopt and promote strategies to do just that. Taking the lead is Florida Campus Compact, a coalition of 50 colleges and universities dedicated to advancing collegiate educational practices that foster civic involvement.Though relatively new to Florida, Campus Compact is already making a difference. The Compact has a unique approach: it isn't about partisan politics and it's more than studying government. Instead, students in all academic disciplines can be engaged in a teaching method called "service-learning". This form of instruction combines the application of course material with community service that meets real community needs.For example, a business class creating a marketing or budget plan for a local charity; chemistry majors assisting teachers with high school science lab instruction; nursing students conducting health fairs; etc. Research shows that service-learning increases academic achievement, workforce readiness, and informed civic participation.Even more, thousands of college students working to address unmet community needs can have huge impacts on the student and the community.In another example, students helped one of our water management districts turn neglected swamp land into productive wildlife habitat and planted over 150 trees in one hour. For the students, the benefits can be even greater; in fact, many students who trade in their spring breaks to help in places like New Orleans after Katrina, have confessed they felt they got more out of the experience than the communities they served.In 2005, a UCLA study confirmed that service-learning positively affects postcollege volunteerism, civic engagement, and voting. This makes sense because students often see government in action through real community experiences, during their formative college years. Campus Compact is helping to build a foundation upon which improved voting patterns, community service, and civic action will grow.This fall, Florida Campus Compact will host a series of events to recognize the successes of its member campuses, including FAU, Broward and Palm Beach Community Colleges, among others. Our hope is to continue to raise awareness about the benefits of making civic engagement part and parcel of the academic instructionalprocess. If quality service-learning programs expand, future news headlines should read: "Florida's Young Voter Turnout, Highest in the Nation."DeeDee Rasmussen is executive director of Florida Campus Compact. Visit https://floridacompact.org/.

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