According to the American Psychological Association, "Civic engagement is the broader motif, encompassing service-learning but not limited to it. One useful definition of civic engagement is the following: individual and collective actions designed to identify and address issues of public concern". This source shows to tell that civic engagement requires a group of individuals to address and solve public concerns and issues. Another similar definition from The New York Times states, "Civic engagement means working to make a difference in the civic life of our communities and developing the combination of knowledge, skills, values, and motivation to make that difference. It means promoting the quality of life in a community, through both political and non-political processes". I believe that civic engagement is an interaction of a fellow community that is well connected and develops new pairs of skills, opportunities, and communication. They are there for each other and work together as a community to get to their goals as a community. Civil engagement requires communication skills in order for a community to get somewhere they have to be a voice.
I believe a major social issue in my community is the lack of sleep every adult and teens get. The lack of sleep may change someone's attitude or mindset on certain things. When people are groggy they tend to not care about things and just want to go on with their day. According to the CDC, "More than a third of American adults are not getting enough sleep on a regular basis". This goes to show that many people these days do not get enough sleep due to stress, sleep disorders, or any factors keeping them awake at night. Sleep is so important for maintaining your health, but unfortunately, many people suffer from sleep disorders, such as sleep apnea, insomnia, restless leg syndrome, and narcolepsy. Lack of sleep may result in an inability to concentrate, mood swings, and issues with memory. On a day-to-day basis, a lack of sleep can also raise the likelihood of getting into an accident or engaging in conflicts at work and at home. Many people do not realize how much they change with the lack of sleep, energy gives most people their drive and emotion. It’s not just about how much sleep you get each night, but the quality of sleep is also important for your health. According to the Sleep Foundation, "On average, we spend about 30% of our lives asleep, and we have little idea why". This ignorance is probably the main reason why our society has such little regard for sleep. At best, we tolerate the fact that we need to sleep; at worst, we think of sleep as an illness that needs a cure. This attitude is not only dangerous but unsustainable. Sleep is a highly complex state that arises from an interaction between multiple brain regions, neurotransmitter pathways, and hormones, none of which is exclusive to the generation of sleep. Small changes in brain function can have a big effect on sleep, and disrupted sleep leads to many health problems. Some things you can do to get better sleep is exercise, take naps when possible, get up at the same time every day, or exercise. It is important to stress that sleep disruption is much more than an individual's frustration at failing to initiate or sustain sleep, or even the sensation of feeling sleepy at an inappropriate time. There are car accidents every day and a new study in sleep indicates that people who have slept for fewer than seven of the past 24 hours have higher odds of being involved in and responsible for car crashes. Getting more sleep may reduce the number of car accidents.
This social issue affects me and the community greatly as it can cause the break out of fights and arguments within the community. Not only will that be a factor but accidents will rise causing more damages within the community. I chose to issue to show and indicate the awareness of your body's sleep. You may not think sleep will affect you now but later on, it will catch onto your body. Over time, the built-up of a habit will continue and the self individual mental and physical health risk will rise.
References
Civic Engagement. (n.d.). Retrieved November 03, 2020, from https://www.apa.org/education/undergrad/civic-engagement
The Definition of Civic Engagement. (2003, July 07). Retrieved November 03, 2020, from https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/ref/college/collegespecial2/coll_aascu_defi.html
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