January 10, 2005

by Vivek Mohta

On a sunny September morning, I strolled through Harvard Yard on the way to my office in the Science Center. The cool wind and throng of freshmen signaled the beginning of fall semester. As I walked through the activities fair, I stopped to talk to an old roommate from the Ross Young Scholars Program, a summer program in number theory for high school students. We hadn’t seen each other in over a year and we had a lot of catching up to do. As we were parting, he casually added, “Have you heard? Something has happened at the World Trade Center.” Shaking my head no, I continued on to my office to puzzle out a renormalization group calculation for one of my research projects.

In a few short hours, my life changed in ways that I’m still coming to terms with today. Since that day I’ve coped with the tragedy, learned about the world, overcome my feeling of powerlessness to change it, and taken action. Here I'd like to share with you some of the insights I've come upon, and I hope to convince you to at least explore the world of civic engagement.

A Sparked Interest

Quite unlike other pursuits in my life, this journey began without much of a plan or any guidance. Compelled to act by 9/11, I joined a group called the Harvard Initiative for Peace and Justice. Many of us in the group were new to political organizing and didn't know where to begin. After many hours discussing our ambitious goals, we decided to focus on increasing awareness about world affairs and fostering dialogue about our nations's course of action. We used various event formats from panels and debates to protests.

In those early weeks after September 11, many of our events were well-attended and our discussions were informative. I found it satisfying to finally be doing something to advance the cause of peace. At the same time, I was frustrated by our limited audience—the same sympathetic people attended many of our events—and by our lack of direct influence on decision-makers.

Despite the external reality, my frustration stemmed largely from my own limitations. I lacked much of the knowledge and many of the skills I needed to be an effective participant in our democracy. I didn’t know much about America’s foreign policy in the 20th century, or about successful methods of collective action, or about the incentives at work in our government.

Like most of my friends, I had been taught, at home and in school, to be a good Samaritan rather than an active participant in democracy: to help my neighbor in need or to volunteer at the local school or shelter. In college, I had been trained to be a scientist and a leader in my profession. I was never encouraged to explore the connections between my scientific interests and the needs of society—in other words, to be a citizen-scientist and a leader in my public life.

I take full responsibility for the shortcomings in my education. At each stage, I’m sure it would have been possible to learn about any of the things I’ve mentioned. However, my experience, those of my friends, and several studies suggest that as a society we do not provide young people the foundations of informed and involved citizenship.

Getting Started

Shortly after I became involved with the Harvard Initiative for Peace and Justice, I happened upon Stephen Covey’s The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. To overcome the sense of being ineffectual, Covey suggests classifying the problems that you wish to address into a “circle of concern” and a smaller “circle of influence.” For example, your circle of concern might include the ongoing problem of slavery in the Sudan, the hiring of a new executive in your company, a new zoning law in your neighborhood, and your society’s policy on climate change. However, in your current situation, only the latter two concerns might be within your circle of influence. Concerns in your circle of influence are sometimes, but not always, local. However, you do always have the power to address them.

To effect social change, you will have to identify among the issues you really care about those that you have the power to address. Failure to do so often results in a sense of futility, or worse, a pattern of inaction. I’m sure you know at least one entertaining armchair activist—someone who formulates elaborate “if only” ideas but actually does little. Keep in mind that the boundaries of your circle of influence are not fixed. With more experience and a larger network, you will undoubtedly expand your circle of influence. In addition, a creative and determined collaboration among a large group of people has the power to influence events that seem far outside each individual’s circle of influence. For example, in response to to the Federal Communication Commission's rulings easing media ownership rules, over half a million Americans coordinated their opposition to influence elected officials. As a result, Congress voted to block the rulings.

Choosing Organizations

The next step is to explore civic organizations. The most oft-cited reason for joining a civic organization is simply an invitation from a friend or family member. On the other hand, I first joined a political organization because of a national crisis. In general, I suggest a different, more informed approach: start by finding out what is happening in your community. “Community” could mean your neighborhood, city, or state, or maybe even a professional, alumni, or ethnic association. Talk to your friends about shared concerns. Read the city paper, paying special attention to civic organizations that are doing work in your area.

As you’re choosing an organization or two to work with, you should consider your role in the group and its goals for change. Volunteers are often alienated by a lack of responsibility or the ineffectiveness of an organization.

In a large national organization, your initial opportunities might be limited to e-mailing elected officials periodically. There might be opportunity for leadership in time, as you meet more members and understand how the group functions. If you’d like to immediately leverage your knowledge and your network, you should consider other organizations.

Some organizations focus on systemic change while others focus on community service. In our society of good Samaritans, we need more people to work on systemic change, specially those who think creatively, have analytical skills, and can tap into a vast network of resources. Moreover, systemic change can obviate the stop-gap measures provided by many service organizations. Volunteering with such organizations provides a sense of making a lasting impact.

Organizations may have unrealistic short-term goals. If success requires a lifetime rather than a few months, you might pass on the opportunity. Periodic victories, in addition to setbacks, are crucial in staying enthusiastic about your efforts. Ultimately, the ideal civic activity will address something you care about within your circle of influence, will allow you to take on as much responsibility as you’d like, will focus on systemic change, and will be of a manageable size.

Once you’ve narrowed your list to a handful of organizations and have explored their Web sites, you should attend a meeting for each. Even if you plan just to observe your first time, introduce yourself to a couple of members and possibly the moderator of the meeting. Civic engagement is a social activity, and it’s important that you enjoy interacting with the people you’ll be working with. Last year, at a meeting for a presidential primary campaign, I found a group of warm, enthusiastic, and hopeful volunteers. I ended up volunteering for much of last summer, and had a blast doing it. I even convinced a couple of friends to take the plunge with me. You’ll be amazed at the potential for synergy between your social activities and your social change activities.

New Opportunities

One of the most rewarding aspects of civic engagement is that it offers an opportunity for personal growth. In the last couple of years, I have learned many skills whose relevance and difficulty I didn’t even appreciate earlier. For example, I’ve learned how to run a productive meeting, how to draw on differing perspectives and create consensus, and how to build mutually beneficial relationships with people and organizations. I’ve also developed confidence in public speaking and have had the exciting opportunity to introduce a presidential candidate to a large forum! You’ll find that many of the skills that you develop in your civic life are useful in other parts of your life.

In addition, your activities will expand your circle of influence so that it takes up more of your circle of concern. The bridges you build with other civically minded people and organizations are crucial in this process. Last fall, I didn’t have the time to remain active in the presidential campaign. However, I still had a deep interest in increasing political awareness in the South Asian American community. It turned out that someone I’d met in a local South Asian American civic organization needed a panelist for a debate among representatives of the different campaigns. With a small time commitment, I had the opportunity to inform a large audience about the presidential candidate I supported. I guarantee that as your network grows, you’ll have more of these “fortuitous” incidents.

This completes our whirlwind tour of the world of civic engagement. Armed with the map I’ve sketched out, I think you’re ready to begin your own adventure. I hope the experiences I’ve shared and the insights I’ve culled serve you well. Now go change the world!

Vivek Mohta is a final-year graduate student in the Department of Mathematics at Harvard University and a visiting student at the Center for Theoretical Physics at MIT. He graduated from MIT in 1999 with degrees in mathematics and physics. He can be reached at vmohta@math.harvard.edu.

Posted on January 10, 2005 09:12 AM