New York City civic engagement extra credit
Question 1:
A key step in crafting your civic identity is to figure out how your values and identity connect to civic issues that matter to you. The core elements of your story of self probably help explain why some issues that appear in public debates are more meaningful to you than others. But we’ll start just by asking you to name the civic issues that matter to you–go ahead and provide your answers again to questions 1 and 2, and then see if you can add an answer to the third question. How can you define or pursue your issues in ways that take the focus from “I” to “we” and to the question of what is good for a community or in the public interest?
The 10 Questions
Why does it matter to me?
How much should I share?
How do I make it about more than myself?
Where do we start?
How can we make it easy and engaging for others to join in?
How do we get wisdom from crowds?
How do we handle the downside of crowds?
Are we pursuing voice or influence or both?
How do we get from voice to change?
How can we find allies?
Provide a response to each of the 10 questions above (attached is an example of a changemaker biography for your reference). The submission should be a minimum of 500 words in length. Submit the assignments as a Word document or PDF.
Question 2:
Compare what matters to the authors of the Declaration and what matters to you and why. Are there similarities? Differences?
The submission should be a minimum of 150 words in length. Submit the assignments as a Word document or PDF.
Question 3:
Your task in this assignment is to define your community for someone who has never met you and is unfamiliar with where you live. Your definition must include details related to geography, environment, and people and an explanation for why you define your community the way you do.
Why is gentrification important to study? Explain how gentrification can be both positive and negative for society. What groups of people may benefit from it and why? What groups of people might be most negatively influenced by gentrification and why? If gentrification continues to accelerate, what do you think the neighborhood you are studying will look like in 20 years? Who will live there? Explain.
What problems, outcomes, or issues is your neighborhood facing as a result of gentrification?  Explain each.
The submission should be a minimum of 500 words in length. Submit the assignments as a Word document or PDF.