Week 2

Dimensions of Civic Engagement:

Once I’m engaged, I’ll be committed

a) Dimension 1: Freedom …
- Commitment is the state of being emotionally or intellectually
devoted to a belief, a course of action, or a person…
- Commitment is something you feel compelled to do because of
your own choices & you know you have to do it for your own
benefit e.g commitment to marriage, studies, sports…
Obligation is something you are compelled to do because of
external pressures & not of your own.
Most of us have both commitments and obligations.
What is the difference?
- A commitment is something YOU do for yourself.
- An obligation is something OTHERS put upon you.
“When you get married, you agree to be committed to your spouse. You
will do what you need to do to make the relationship works, and
therefore, build a life. Consequently, you accept all obligations your
spouse puts upon you. Why? Simply because you want to be committed
to that person. For example, one spouse may elect to stay home with the
children, while the other spouse goes to work to support the family. Each
spouse accepts the obligations of those roles, because they want to be
committed to the family”. (If you are committed to the relationship, then
you will accept the obligations. However, if you are not committed, then
those obligations will be a burden for you).

“In religion, a church may put obligations upon you. However, if you
choose to be committed to the faith, you accept the obligations willingly.

"An obligation” is an experience based on a non-free choice, so it is not

assumed. This obligation is actually a commitment that does not
represent the whole person (the whole of me).

Dimension 2: Commitment and action

- Action is a nature of engagement.

- The commitment is a living space, so it implies movement and
action. Life in the dictionary means "the fact to act" and
therefore, it is action.
- The action is a key factor for the construction of the engagement
space, it gives it consistency.
Dimension 3: The link building as content of commitment
The commitment cannot take place in a monologue "I-me" but by a
"link", as dialogue, "I- you
"Others" would not be limited to a physical person, a psychic or social
status.
Link building assumes the following criteria:
a) Self-out: to decentralize
b) Listen to others: the act of listening here is not necessarily physical;
it can be mental, emotional, spiritual ...
c) Watch for others
d) Understand others
KEEP YOUR ASSUMPTIONS FLEXIBLE AND TRY TO SEE
AND LOOK AT ISSUES FROM DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES
e) Practice the art of being present to him/her: assume his/her
presence along with all the requirements that result.

Dimension 4: Commitment conduct

Responsible commitment through a committed responsibility.

We would say that the sense of responsibility is the key to the

continuity of commitment.
The components of the conduct commitment: Definitions

a) involvement;
b) sense of responsibility;
c) perseverance ;
d) continuity ;
e) "science of effort".

The Forms of commitment:

a) Adherence means "sticking to" or "being faithful to,"

Examples:
Your adherence to your diet even when chocolate cake is around.
The students' adherence to school rules — they do not use cell
phones or music players in class.
“To stick.”
b) Activisim
• The action of campaigning to bring about political or social
change: growing activism on the abortion issue.
• An activist is a person who campaigns for some kind of social
change.

• Someone who acts on what he/she believes is an activist.

c) VOW
a solemn promise.
 • Synonyms: oath, pledge, promise, bond, covenant, commitment,
word of honor, guarantee;
• A solemn promise or assertion; specifically : one by which a
person is bound to an act, service, or condition
• To make a determined decision or promise to do something.
The monks take a vow of silence.

The bride and groom exchanged vows. The mayor made a vow to
reduce crime.

Religious vows are the public vows made by the members of

religious communities pertaining to their conduct, practices, and
views

d) The agreement and the contract as forms of commitment

• A negotiated legally binding arrangement between parties as to a
course of action.

Read more:
http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/agreement.html#ixzz3z
C9kWaC4

e) The promise, speech act

"Promise is a commitment to ..."
"To announce”.
The promise is an act and a form of commitment. It is an explicit
form of commitment.
The verb “To announce” shows the external appearance, the
explicit and concrete part of the act of promising.
END