IIC WEBINAR RECORDING: Faithfully Engaged in the 2016 Election
Interfaith Immigration Coalition Souls to the Polls Resource
What is “civic engagement”?
Civic engagement refers to the ways in which individuals and groups participate in the life of a community in order to improve conditions that shape the community’s future. Participating in civil society by voting, understanding the issues of the day, and engaging in civil and productive conversation with others is one of the many strengths of the United States and an important part of integration for new Americans.
Civic engagement is a key component of integration and building welcoming communities
Voting and participating in civil society are key to both the integration and naturalization processes. When naturalized immigrants and refugees exercise their right to vote, they empower themselves to be full members of their new communities. Even immigrants and refugees who are not yet naturalized, and therefore cannot yet vote, they bring important contributions to social issues important to their communities, through participating in events educating the public about the benefits that newcomers bring to their communities and the need to build stronger, more welcoming communities.
We affirm that it is important for policy makers to take time to meet refugees and immigrants and understand their struggles. Although our various faiths come from many political perspectives, we come together to educate our local policy makers on the importance of building stronger, more welcoming communities. The level of civic engagement in which our network participates helps build champions across party lines, at the local and national levels to create policies that lift up and value refugees and immigrants in our communities. Civic engagement work can also energize current volunteers and develop new leaders, as it brings communities together to engage with policy makers on meeting challenges and building stronger communities.
Our civic engagement work is non-partisan, and does not endorse any candidate or political party
The IIC is made up of non-partisan, 501(c)3 organization. This means that we will not be endorsing parties or candidates, but we will continue, as we always have, to promote welcoming communities.
***If you are not a citizen or do not know if you are citizen, do not register to vote or vote until you know. See resources in Spanish and in English from CLINIC.
Additional Faith Resources
Nuns on the Bus – Mend The Gaps 2016
NETWORK Election 2016 Resources
United Church of Christ – Our Faith Our Vote
Church World Service – Strengthening Welcome Through Civic Engagement Toolkit
The Episcopal Church – Election Engagement Toolkit
The Episcopal Church – Episcopalians Vote
Friends Committee on National Legislation – Civil Dialogue in an Election Year: 2016
Friends Committee on National Legislation – Bird-Dogging Guide
Friends Committee on National Legislation – Social Media Advocacy Toolkit
National Council for Jewish Women – Protect the Vote, Promote the Vote
LCWR – Call for Civil Discourse for the Common Good
LCWR – A Letter to the Candidates Calling for Civil, Respectful Discourse