by Xypher Pino

The world we live in is full of violence and hate. Everywhere you go, anywhere you look – it is unfortunately impossible to avoid negativity. It can be very easy for one to lose hope and faith in humanity when the only things you see and hear about are the never-ending wars or news about another school shooting. This becomes especially apparent when you consider how, as a collective, we can never agree on anything and often, discussions quickly turn into unhealthy disagreements and toxic feuds.

Recent U.S. presidential debates are a great example of how divisive our society has become. The debates are meant to give voters a chance to understand a candidate’s position on important issues and how they might govern. However, recent presidential debates have only made us more divided as the focus has turned away from educating the viewers and having well-constructed, professional discussions to having hatred for the opponent and removing all logic from the conversation.

Our world has never been fair, and it will never be fair, but the growing fragmentations only cause problems for everyone involved. Societal systems, whether purposefully or not, bring certain people down in order to bring certain people up. It is extremely hard and quite frankly, near impossible, for everybody to be able to experience the pleasures of life. This is a dream which I think, as a collective, we all share: to live in a world where everyone has a fair and equal opportunity to have fun, to enjoy themselves and to be happy. Considering the state of our current world, would it not be extremely hard to turn that into actual reality? Without a doubt, yes, it will be difficult, but not impossible – through the power of civic engagement, we can make this dream into reality.

Civic engagement refers to work towards the public good – it is the participation of individuals in activities which aim to improve or address issues within one’s community or society. Civic engagement is something which we are all familiar with. Anytime that you do something in relation to public issues such as homelessness, hunger, voting or the environment– you are being civically engaged. Any action that positively affects numerous people and the community, that is what civic engagement is.

The world is as violent, as hateful, and as divisive as ever but somehow, someway, we are still all in this together, and that is because of civic engagement. This is what keeps my faith in humanity – through civic engagement, we can push aside the negativity of the world around us, the violence, the hate. This is how we can dominate the system that dominates over us – the unfairness of society, the unequal opportunity, all of the difficulties – we must become civically engaged in order to create the world that we want to live in.

Civic engagement is not easy; it takes a lot of effort and sacrifice. Imagine a world where nobody advocates for the things which you care about. What does a world full of people focused only on themselves, without care for others, look like? In a world without civic engagement, society will surely collapse. It horrifies me to think about a world in which civic engagement does not exist. I cannot even define in words what the state of our society and communities would be without civic engagement.

The world is complex and perfect solutions do not exist. Any step toward solving a problem is a step in the right direction. Progress over perfection, the ripple effect that small acts of kindness and positive change can bring, the ethical fulfillment, the inspiration that comes from the success of small efforts; this is what civic engagement is all about. We all want to live in a world where each of us can experience the pleasures of happiness. This may be unrealistic dream, but civic engagement is what allows us to progress towards that utopian dream. We cannot help everybody, but the lives that we do touch or the issues that we address through civic engagement are still profoundly affected, and that makes a difference.

For this school year, I recently got the privilege to be a part of the North Carolina Civic Impact Fellowship Program. Through this program created and managed by NC Campus Engagement, I have been tasked to improve the state of civic life on our campus. This new statewide program is designed to empower students to be a civic leader and bring a meaningful impact on Greensboro College’s civic life; I am so grateful to be a part of this program.

The plans I have for this school year in relation to this project are grand, but I am so excited that I get the opportunity to share my passion for helping others and making our world a better place. Over the past year, I have been very involved in civic life on campus. My outlook on life has completely changed as a result – before, I was only focused on personal gains, and I had very selfish goals. Now, because of civic engagement, there is nothing that I care about more, nothing that makes me happier, than doing things that positively affects the lives of others.

No one could have told me what a difference civic engagement would make in my life. It is something you truly have to experience for yourself to understand its impact and importance. Civic engagement does not just change the community you are part of, but it also transforms you as an individual. I hope that after reading this, you are ready to enter and be involved in a highly active civic life. The smallest actions can ripple into the most meaningful of changes; whether it is volunteering, voting or even simply helping a friend in need, I encourage you to become civically involved and begin your civic journey.