Increasing Citizen Awareness and Engagement
In recent years, we’ve seen more people than ever before all around the world standing up for what they believe in and becoming involved in politics and government. While this can sometimes be seen as negative because it’s associated with violent protests, unnecessary deaths, and rebellion, there are numerous benefits to political involvement and engagement.
Often it can feel like we may have nothing in common with someone who lives thousands of miles away from us, speaks a different language and lives in a foreign country. But in reality, there are so many experiences we all share, both good and bad.
For example, in the last few years, there have been multiple movements, including the Women’s Rights Marches and BLM movement, that originated in the United States and led to protests and gatherings around the world. While the direct root of these movements, Donald Trump’s anti-women and sexist history and comments and the killing of George Floyd were specific to the United States or even a particular city within the country, the more significant issues, sexism, racism, and police brutality, are all things that people around the world have experienced and feel strongly about. Both movements have seen thousands of events worldwide, with millions of people gathering to show their support and make their voices heard and have led to changes being made by governments around the world.
These movements also help to educate individuals on issues happening around the world. Take, for example, the recent anti-government, pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong. The issue at the root of these protests goes back almost 40 years to 1984 when Britain and China came to an agreement that would return Hong Kong, which was a British colony at the time, to China in 1997. The treaty outlined that while Hong Kong and China would be one country, there would be two systems giving Hong Kong its own legal system, borders, and rights. In 2019, China introduced a bill that would allow criminals in Hong Kong to be extradited to China, where they would face much harsher sentences and treatment. In response, there was a sit-in at government headquarters, and the protests became increasingly violent as they went on but also gained media attention around the world. Without this media attention, many people in other parts of the world had no idea about Hong Kong’s history or the issues they were facing.
It’s often said that the more people that participate in a democracy, the more democratic it becomes, and these specific events directly show that this statement is true. As a result of these protests, bills were dropped, legislation changed, and new officials elected to name only a few changes. By becoming more engaged and socially aware, populations are forcing their governments to change from ones that represent only a fraction of the population to ones that actually represent everyone. As a result, governments are getting closer to achieving their intended purpose of protecting, supporting, and representing all citizens for the first time in history.
The Public Consultation Institute of Ireland (PCII) is committed to engaging citizens and empowering communities through the use of emerging technologies, which are transforming how the Government and citizens communicate and interact. PCII’s mission is to bring more people into the public participatory process. Not only will this expand informed public engagement, early studies suggest that it is likely to enhance the diversity and quality of partipartipation. View a list of public consultations currently open at www.publicconsultation.ie
