My Journey from Political Hobbyism to Local Engagement
For many years, I thought that being political meant being well-informed. And it felt so good to be well-informed, like I was making the world a better place just by reading the right articles and agreeing with the right op-eds. Plus, all of this could be entertaining to boot! With snarky pundits and topical comedy, I could feel indignant AND laugh until my eyes watered.
Then the world changed, and in one news cycle, I realized that none of the information I had gathered had done much of anything at all in the real world. I felt powerless and afraid, and somewhat embarrassed by the time I had wasted scrolling headlines. I later discovered that I was acting as a “political hobbyist,” a term coined by professor of political science Eitan Hersh. I was consuming politics for entertainment and emotional gratification instead of actually changing anything.
I decided I wanted to do something different with my time and energy, so I looked for somewhere I could volunteer. The organization that piqued my interest was Circles Utah Valley, a community-based anti-poverty initiative. I signed up to be an ally, someone who meets weekly with a participant who is working their way to financial stability. I became friends with people who lived less than a mile from me, but, because of our demographic differences, we may have never crossed paths in everyday life. I learned their stories, discussed their difficulties, and tried to open my social networks to help them achieve their goals. It took me out of my comfort zone and challenged me in all of the best ways.
During my era of information-gathering, I cared about the issue of poverty, but volunteering with Circles made me care about the people experiencing poverty. And at this personal scale, I could understand their experiences, find out how public policy actually affected them, and make a real difference in their lives and our community.
When we choose where to spend our political and civic energy, scale matters. You can consume national news, post on social media, sign online petitions, write your lawmaker, attend a neighborhood meeting, mentor a high school student, join your neighbors at a community clean-up, throw a block party. They all have their place, but where will your investment of time have the greatest effect?
I haven’t given up on any type of political engagement, but I have tried to follow a simple rule when gauging where to spend my time and energy: the personal influence one can have on a group is inversely proportional to the size of that group. What I have found is that the smaller the scale, the greater my influence. And I feel much more personal fulfillment when I create a relationship in the course of my civic involvement.
So, What Can You Do?
After years of volunteering with Circles and finding meaningful involvement with other local organizations, I wanted to spread the word about how vital and accessible it is to be an active participant in our community. My friends and I organized the first Act Local Community Night in March of 2025. We had more than 40 organizations from the Provo/Orem area and over a hundred members of the community attend this free open-house. It was exciting to see different organizations make connections with each other and hear attendees comment on the good work happening that they hadn’t been aware of before.
We’re back this year with Engage as a new co-sponsor, and we have even more organizations joining us! The 2nd annual Act Local Community Night is happening on March 12. There will be advocacy groups, volunteer and service opportunities, as well as civic and neighborhood programs. This is the perfect place to discover where your interests, skills, and resources intersect with a community need. You can meet the people who are already working together and join with their cause.
Volunteering, advocacy, and public service are just the beginning. Thanks to researcher Robert Putnam, we know that these aren’t the only elements of effective civic engagement or thriving communities. In his book Bowling Alone, he showed that all types of local interactions lead to a host of positive outcomes. This is why we reached out to hobby clubs, interest groups, and businesses that create gathering opportunities to join us at Act Local Community Night. Choosing to enjoy a pastime with a group of your neighbors rather than doing it alone could be the way you start to understand how people different from you see the world, an essential skill for democracy.
Each local relationship formed is a building-block in the long-term civic infrastructure we hope to create. And the benefits that await us are compelling: better local problem solving, lower crime rates, more social trust, higher educational outcomes, even improved public health and a stronger democracy! Efforts at the local level don’t stay at the local level, they accrue to a healthier society overall.
We hope you join us on Thursday, March 12, 6:30-9:00 pm in the Provo Library Ballroom. We’ll have refreshments, live music, and prizes; I promise it won’t just be a solemn evening of clipboard-signing. In fact, last year we ended with a group sing-along (this might not be your thing, but I’m not at all embarrassed to say that it was my favorite part of the evening). Come ready to be surprised by the good things happening in your own backyard and how much you’ll want to be a part of it!
Laura Marre, Executive Committee, Engage
Learn more about Act Local Community Night here.