Instruction
Family influences and civic engagement
The following has to be answered:
Think about how your family has influenced your experience and the level of civic engagement.
Did your parents and other family members discussed political issues in the family setting when they were around you (at the dinner table, etc.)?
Did your parents and other family members discuss political issues with you when you were growing up? And/or do you discuss political issues with them now? Why or why not?
If you answered yes to question b, have they asked you to participate in political activities with them? Have you? If so, in what ways? How did those experiences influence your own view of the importance of civic engagement?
If your parents and other family members are not actively involved in civic engagement, why do you think they are not? What do you think might encourage them to become active?
Overall, how do you think your parents’ or other family members’ level of civic engagement affected your own experience and the level of civic engagement?
After taking a moment to really evaluate the implications of this (i.e., family influence on you), describe how you feel about your own level of civic engagement.
How would you like to influence your own children’s political participation (if and when you have children) or the next generation at large?