Task Force on Civic Education Statement of Purpose

Democracies, from nations to small communities, cannot survive and thrive without robust engagement in the political controversies (and the well-earned celebrations) that sustain them. Civic engagement in, and a personal sense of responsibility for, the health of our inescapably political life are the lifeblood of a liberal democracy. And yet Americans, at this century's end seem indifferent, cynical, and perhaps afraid of politics. The evidence for the rise of political apathy and cynicism is convincing. While particular studies can be debated and their findings disputed, we take it as a given that something is amiss, both in our national political life and in our willingness to enbrace the political challenges of our immediate communities. We do not pretend to propose recovering some imagined Golden Age of universal political engagement. We have no wish to rally tens of thousands of concerned citizens into the streets. We know that