People like me get involved in projects about which they feel not only interest but passion. I think people need to find the right activity so they don’t burn out. I also think that many people are at the top of their profession, which means that they need to put a lot of extra time into their work.
Then there are those potential emerging sages who simply enjoy partying or have a feeling of entitlement that the community’s work will get done without their involvement:
Maybe there’s a part of community involvement that’s not cool with the younger crowd who are out partying. In that case, the question becomes, “How do you make it attractive for young people to get involved?” I think you need a bridge-person to rally their friends to become involved.
Sometimes I think it’s a lack of a philanthropic spirit or understanding. I’m pretty shocked about how few people in my core group of friends are civic-minded. They volunteer in their kids’ school, but that’s pretty much it. It’s amazing to me because there’s an incredible older generation here who do volunteer, but not my generation so much.
Emerging sages suggest there are different planes of community involvement. It is not a matter of being engaged or not engaged, but of level and degree of involvement. All kinds of contributions are being made by community members—perhaps not in as grand a manner as serving on a nonprofit board, but still important. They’re participating in a bake sale or giving a day of service to their church. They might not be heading an organization, but they make a phone call and work a couple hours here and there. And they serve the community indirectly by raising children and supporting their education. One of the hallmarks of Grass Valley and Nevada City, therefore, is the wide range of community activities and levels of participation.
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