Guess who can bring about change in your community. Walk over to the closest mirror. Who do you see? No, this isn't a joke. You can bring about the change you desire. What's the next step? The answer is civic engagement.

Civic engagement explains how individuals or groups try to influence, change, or address public issues that affect their communities. These can include different ways to participate in politics to influence government institutions. Civic engagement can also include ways in which individuals and groups can work with civic organizations like churches or community-based organizations to secure resources to improve community members' lives. Civic engagement can take many forms. People can join political parties, elect leaders, and vote in general elections for candidates representing their interests. They can organize groups of people to fix problems in their communities or demand that local, state, or federal governments solve problems. Civic engagement is about mobilizing people to try to solve public health, education, and other types of issues affecting their communities.

Stay tuned to this section for more information on how anyone of any age can advocate for change.