Restoring civil society, one neighborhood at a time

Americans should take stock of their approach. When it comes to battling the herculean problems in our own cities and towns, civil society is a vital and necessary tool. Yet the health of civil society continues to deteriorate, despite a rich heritage of community involvement. We can and must restore it, one neighborhood at a time.

From our country’s founding, citizens naturally gravitated toward problem-solving at the most local level. In doing so, we distinguished ourselves from the rest of the world. “Americans of all ages, all stations of life, and all types of disposition are forever forming associations,” observed Alexis de Tocqueville.

Families, neighbors, and local organizations solving problems on their own reduced the ability or need for government to step in. This, in turn, enabled America to become the freest, most prosperous country on Earth. But over the past half-century and especially during the 21st century, the institutions that serve as society’s most effective safety nets have started to disintegrate.

Today, 39% of all children live in fatherless homes, double the figure in 1968. Church membership is under 50%, a steep drop from 70% two decades ago. Little League participation has declined for several decades, reflective of a downward trend in children’s sports. And a recent congressional report found that there’s been a “hollowing out” of civil society, with declining membership in service organizations. Not surprisingly, there’s been a dramatic increase in time spent online. About 30% of adults say their screens are on almost constantly.

In an age when everyone is digitally connected, we have never been more emotionally disconnected. People increasingly turn to a screen, rather than a family member, the baseball field, or houses of worship. That’s disheartening, dissatisfying, and even dangerous.

Among the alarming trends, exacerbated by pandemic lockdowns: a 50% jump in suicide attempts among female teenagers the last two years, drug overdose deaths at record numbers, and homicide rates surging nationwide. This is to say little of the political divisiveness that’s infected discourse or the lack of trust in the nation’s institutions.

To restore civil society, we must become Davids in our own neighborhoods.

What does this mean? In short, our citizens should return to the American tradition of building relationships in their own backyard, rather than from behind a screen or through a bureaucratic initiative.

The Bradley Foundation supports many groups in our hometown of Milwaukee that do just that. One example is an organization that initiates neighborhood improvement projects in the central city. It starts by matching the needs of a single block with churches, nonprofit groups, and others who want to help.

Another organization offers creative arts programs to children who otherwise wouldn’t have access to them due to cost or transportation. Yet another group uses gardening as a vehicle for teenagers to gain work experience, learn life skills, and participate in the community.

There are numerous other groups, all with common threads. They chip away at problems block by block, rather than through a top-down formula. They’re beholden to the transformation of hearts and minds rather than models or measurement. And they’re run by leaders who have an insatiable drive to make their community better.

This solution may come across as simplistic, but that’s the point. When we look for answers from those who are distant from the problem — be it government, the ivory tower, or social media — we get impersonal, overly bureaucratic, and hopelessly complex approaches that just don’t work. Instead, it’s those who are deeply embedded in the community who are most able and driven to identify solutions.

It will take time, but to strengthen America, we must restore civil society, one neighborhood at a time.

Rick Graber is the president and CEO of the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation. He is also a former U.S. ambassador to the Czech Republic.