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How Civic Engagement Becomes a Health Boost · Talking FACS

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  Welcome to Talking FACS, what you need to know about family,
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  food, finance, and fitness.
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  This nationally recognized, award-winning podcast is hosted by the University
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  of Kentucky Family and Consumer Sciences Extension Program.
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  Our educators share research knowledge with individuals, families,
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  and communities to improve quality of life.
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  Here's something surprising. Your health isn't only shaped by what you eat.
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  How much you exercise, or even the medical care you receive.
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  It is also shaped by how connected you are to your community.
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  You're listening to Talking FACS. I am your host, Mindy McCulley,
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  Extension Specialist for Instructional Support with Family and Consumer Sciences Extension.
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  And my guest today is Dr. Monica Mundy, who is our Assistant Extension Professor
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  for Community and Family Health.
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  Monica, I'm so glad you're here today to help us talk about civic engagement
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  and your health, because I think so many people might recognize how the awareness
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  of what's going on in our civic world might negatively impact their health.
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  But let's talk about what we see when people are really engaged in their communities.
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  What are some of those health benefits?
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  Research has really shown us that people who are engaged in their communities,
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  just, I know a lot of people think civic engagement and they think voting and
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  it does include voting, but also volunteering,
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  just participating in local groups could be a running group,
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  could be, you know, a formal group like Rotary Club.
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  But it makes you feel more connected and
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  you actually live longer when you have these social
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  connections to your community. You also
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  can have lower rates of heart disease depression and even cancer and communities
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  with high levels of civic engagement have life expectancies more than three
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  years longer than those that have fewer opportunities to get involved within their community.
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  So it does have a really positive impact on your health.
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  I mean, just those facts alone. Like, okay, sign me up. I need to get volunteering for something, right?
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  Or, you know, I've always been a voter, but I need to do some more things.
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  But let's talk about what really is civic engagement.
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  Yeah, and so civic engagement really is the way that people come together
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  to shape the life of their community.
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  So it goes beyond just, you know, voting at the ballot box, right?
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  It's those everyday actions we take to improve where we live, work, and play.
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  And by, for instance, maybe lending a hand to a neighbor or showing up at a
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  local meeting or joining in
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  on a community project, right? Those actions have a ripple effect, right?
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  They strengthen our communities and in turn, right, that strengthens our help.
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  So I like to think of it as community teamwork, right? People coming together to make change.
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  And that sounds wonderful to me because I go all over the state and you can
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  see the difference in communities where people are really involved and really active.
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  As opposed to the communities where it's like, does anybody even care about this place?
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  Because you can, you know, the
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  weeds are growing and the businesses are closed and that sort of thing.
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  So how does civic engagement then impact our health?
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  Yeah, so we've talked about some of those individual health benefits,
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  reduce stress and anxiety by building those social connections.
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  It gives people a purpose, a sense of belonging. It can improve our physical
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  health and keep our brain sharp, right?
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  Reduce some memory decline. But it also has community benefits.
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  It helps us build trust and friendships and networks. It creates a stronger,
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  safer, and more resilient neighborhood as well.
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  It also helps our communities be able to respond to a crisis faster and share
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  resources more effectively.
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  For example, when you have a neighborhood full of volunteers,
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  that helps you build those strong friendships, have a healthier community,
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  and builds a way for you to be able to communicate with your neighbors and community
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  members if something were to happen.
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  You know, you often hear, I don't even know my neighbors anymore.
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  And that's so sad because our neighbors are like extended family almost,
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  you know, that they kind of help us do those things that maybe we can't do on our own or, you know.
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  Fill in the gaps that we need to lean on each other for.
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  And having that resource does really make a difference in how you feel about
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  yourself and your community as a whole.
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  So how does this involvement affect community decision-making?
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  So it really is about that local involvement.
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  I tell people all the time, the majority of what we see and feel every day from
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  having sidewalks that we can walk down or bike lanes that we can drive on or stoplights,
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  that all happens, right, in our community.
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  And so think about being involved in some of the local policies that you have.
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  And it could be about healthy food access, having a farmer's market with fresh
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  fruits and vegetables available for communities that may not have a grocery store.
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  It could think about having parks, right, or placing a park where we don't already have one.
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  And really, yeah.
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  Making sure that our leaders are making the best choices for our communities.
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  And the best way to do that is for them to hear from the residents themselves.
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  An example of community voices really being heard is the water crisis that happened in Flint,
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  Michigan, and really getting the word out and understanding how those unsafe
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  water conditions were impacting that community's health every day and coming
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  together with those community voices, health experts,
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  all the volunteers that helped to bridge that gap and provide those resources
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  that were needed at the moment as well.
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  So the results were felt. There was new funding, a safer water system and health
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  programs to address some of those health needs that came about because of the
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  issues that they were facing.
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  So, really, the key takeaway is when we speak up and we come together and help
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  each other, it can lead to these real life-changing improvements in our communities.
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  And even what appears to be the best community has room for improvement, right?
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  Oh, yes, right? Always room for improvement.
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  Always. What civic engagement in action looks like?
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  Really just getting involved so that voices can be heard and looking for some
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  solutions for particular community needs.
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  And so you may volunteer at a food bank, right, that helps us reduce food insecurity
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  and within our communities.
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  Maybe it's joining the local PTA at your local school. PTAs take community volunteers,
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  even if you don't have a student, going to that school.
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  And so that really is strengthening our schools, our capacity and our student well-being.
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  Or maybe it's organizing a neighborhood cleanup so that we can really keep our
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  communities looking the best and protect the environment at the same time.
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  So I like to tell everyone there's five simple steps you can do. Stay informed.
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  So if it's getting in touch with your local leaders, joining a group.
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  Looking at the local news, right? attending meetings. If there is an issue that
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  you're interested in, go to a meeting.
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  Learn more about it. Learn how you can help. Like I mentioned,
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  joining those groups, it could be an organization or just a group in general.
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  I know there are lots of health coalitions or youth groups, you know,
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  all kinds of things where people might want to get involved in their community.
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  And if they don't seek them out, they won't know what they are.
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  Exactly. Every community has some sort of health coalition that is there, that's working.
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  You can check your local health department, your local hospital, and just get together.
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  Speak up, right? If you see a concern, share a concern, and raise awareness,
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  and just encourage others.
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  Bring a friend along, bring a family member, and get involved together.
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  I love all of these ideas. When we have more involvement in our communities,
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  that Just plain, it's going to lead to healthier, stronger, and more connected communities, right?
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  It sure will. And when we work together, we can improve our communities,
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  our resources, our capacity, and our programs.
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  I think that's great. So don't think that the only way that you could get involved
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  in your community is to vote.
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  You can get out there and make a difference by being present and letting your
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  voice be heard. So what's next?
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  So I would encourage everyone to get involved today.
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  Find just one thing that you can do, one issue that you're interested in,
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  And then maybe send an email, attend a meeting, or just even learning a little
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  bit more about a topic you might be interested in and how you might help your community.
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  I think that's a great idea. As we've said on all of our conversations,
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  small steps can lead to monumental change.
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  Monica, thank you so much for taking the time to share with our listeners today
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  about civic engagement in health.
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  Oh, thank you for having me. And if you are just tuning in, you're listening
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  to Talking FACS, and you will find us wherever you listen to your favorite podcast.
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  Thank you for listening to Talking FACS. We deliver programs focusing on nutrition,
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  health, resource management, family development, and civic engagement.
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  If you enjoyed today's podcast, have a question or a show topic idea,
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  leave a like and a comment on Facebook at UKFCSEXT or send us an email at UKFCSEXT@UKY.edu.
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  Visit us online at fcs.uky.edu to learn more about the University of Kentucky
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  Family and Consumer Sciences Extension Program or contact your local extension
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  agent for Family and Consumer Sciences. We build strong families.
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  We build Kentucky. It starts with us.
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  Thank you.