Bookcase Review Club Presentation - August 2004
by Virginia Giglio, Ph.D.

       

Challenges from "Bowling Alone" by Robert Putnam, paraphrased by Dr. Giglio.

Let us find ways to ensure that by 2010 . . .

... the level of civic engagement among Americans who are coming of age in all parts of our society will match that of their grandparents when they were the same age.

...America's workplace will be substantially more family friendly and community- congenial so that American workers will be enabled to replenish our stocks of social capital both within and outside the work place.

...Americans will spend less time traveling and more time connecting with our neighbors than we do today, that we will live in more integrated and pedestrian-friendly areas, and that the design of our communities and the availability of public space will encourage more casual socializing with friends and neighbors.

...we spur a new, pluralistic, socially responsible "Great Awakening" so Americans will be more deeply engaged than we are today in one or another spiritual community of meaning, while at the same time becoming more tolerant of the faiths and practices of other Americans.

...Americans will spend less leisure time sitting passively alone in front of glowing screens and spend more time in active connection with our fellow citizens. Let us foster new forms of electronic entertainment and communication that reinforce community engagement rather than forestalling it.

...significantly more Americans will participate in (not merely consume or "appreciate") cultural activities from group dancing to songfests to community theater, to rap festivals. Let us discover new ways to use the arts as a vehicle for convening diverse groups of fellow citizens.

...many more Americans will participate in the public life of our communities - running for office, attending public meetings, serving on committees, campaigning in elections, and even voting.

 

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