Civic Engagement and the Canvass
The following quotes are from a study conducted by CIRCLE in the summer of 2003 and released in January 2005, about the patterns and effects of canvassing campaigns upon the young people who participate in them. The study cites canvassing as one of the more prevalent and active channels of civic engagement for youths in the country, and cites a study to the effect that
“… 7 percent of participants between the ages of 15-37 had participated in a canvass at one time or another…"
“[T]he summer canvass has become a popular tool for a diverse array of organizations and it exposes thousands of young people a year to political work….
in the United States runs between 55-75 canvass offices around the country.8 ….[C]anvassers tend to be…engaged young people who are going through the transition to adulthood. … ‘a crucial time during which lifelong trajectories of civic participation are formed.’” [p.6]
“The canvass office experience supports the development of a community of activists. New canvassers draw energy from their peers. With so many committed young people in a room rallying each other through chants and cheers, it is easy to become more involved.”
As one canvasser explained: “Yes. I feel like [canvassing is] the best [way of confronting political problems]. I feel like there’s such a problem with ignorance and apathy and not that that’s necessarily a fault of the public. I feel like the political system is kind of amorphous to a lot of people and that...not everyone gets to be a political activist as their job. This is a way to shift the power from the legislator to the public. So we’re going around talking to regular people and if they don’t get involved, they at least know something” [p.7]
Another canvasser, 558 from Atlanta, adds:
“I meet people every day who are, you know, basically practically waiting for me...I come to their door and they’re, like, ‘oh, you know, this is exactly what I want to do...I want to make a difference.’ It’s just like they are waiting for that opportunity in the most perfect of ways and this is, like, an ideal chance for them to really say... ‘Yeah I did feel helpless, I didn’t think there was anything I can do.’” [p.8]
* * *
* * *
“In the past five years, canvassing has exploded as a form of gaining grassroots support for national and state-centered political campaigns. Although originally run by the offices of multiple national organizations, the grassroots campaigns for leftleaning organizations have been consolidated. Instead of each organization running campaign offices around the country that train and manage canvassers to work on their grassroots campaigns, it is easier and less expensive for one organization to be paid to run them all. Therefore, beginning in the late 1990s, many progressive national organizations began to outsource their grassroots campaigns. This consolidation of grassroots activism has had serious effects on the way that these grassroots campaigns take place.”
[p. 12-3]
“… 7 percent of participants between the ages of 15-37 had participated in a canvass at one time or another…"
“[T]he summer canvass has become a popular tool for a diverse array of organizations and it exposes thousands of young people a year to political work….
in the United States runs between 55-75 canvass offices around the country.8 ….[C]anvassers tend to be…engaged young people who are going through the transition to adulthood. … ‘a crucial time during which lifelong trajectories of civic participation are formed.’” [p.6]
“The canvass office experience supports the development of a community of activists. New canvassers draw energy from their peers. With so many committed young people in a room rallying each other through chants and cheers, it is easy to become more involved.”
As one canvasser explained: “Yes. I feel like [canvassing is] the best [way of confronting political problems]. I feel like there’s such a problem with ignorance and apathy and not that that’s necessarily a fault of the public. I feel like the political system is kind of amorphous to a lot of people and that...not everyone gets to be a political activist as their job. This is a way to shift the power from the legislator to the public. So we’re going around talking to regular people and if they don’t get involved, they at least know something” [p.7]
Another canvasser, 558 from Atlanta, adds:
“I meet people every day who are, you know, basically practically waiting for me...I come to their door and they’re, like, ‘oh, you know, this is exactly what I want to do...I want to make a difference.’ It’s just like they are waiting for that opportunity in the most perfect of ways and this is, like, an ideal chance for them to really say... ‘Yeah I did feel helpless, I didn’t think there was anything I can do.’” [p.8]
* * *
* * *
“In the past five years, canvassing has exploded as a form of gaining grassroots support for national and state-centered political campaigns. Although originally run by the offices of multiple national organizations, the grassroots campaigns for leftleaning organizations have been consolidated. Instead of each organization running campaign offices around the country that train and manage canvassers to work on their grassroots campaigns, it is easier and less expensive for one organization to be paid to run them all. Therefore, beginning in the late 1990s, many progressive national organizations began to outsource their grassroots campaigns. This consolidation of grassroots activism has had serious effects on the way that these grassroots campaigns take place.”
[p. 12-3]
posted by Greg Bloom at 6/05/2005 10:23:00 PM
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