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CIVIC ENGAGEMENT

Civic Engagement, Identity, and Group Mobilization

Zackary Evans

Arizona State University

PAF 112: Identity, Service, and American Democracy

Dr. Jonathan Koppell

December 9, 2020
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Civic Engagement, Identity, and Group Mobilization

This year has been a rollercoaster for many of us as we all are facing an epidemic

devastating to our country. Not only has this epidemic caused pain with family members lost, but

also Americans have faced financial hardships that many were not able to overcome. According

to Soucheray (2020), The U.S. has “lost 20.6 million jobs since Mid-March resulting in an

unemployment rate of 14.7%, a level not seen since the Great Depression in the 1930’s” (p.1).

Another source, RWJF (2020), found that “At least half of households in the four largest U.S.

cities—New York City (53%), Los Angeles (56%), Chicago (50%), and Houston (63%)—report

serious financial problems including depleted savings, and trouble paying bills or affording

medical care” (p.1). I have not been personally affected by Covid-19, but many people around

me have been, people who have lost their family members due to this virus. In addition to the

epidemic, other major world events occurred creating anxiety for Americans. Racial injustice

combined with rioting and protests due to the killing of George Floyd and the demand for racial

equality, Deaths of Chadwick Bosman and Kobe Bryant shook the world, California Wildfires

burning millions of acres of land across the west coast, as well as the nail-biting election that had

everyone on their toes. 2020 has been a challenging year, and many are suffering behind closed

doors. The organization I will be addressing is Teen Lifeline Inc., an organization I took an

interest in during my previous assignment, which aids in the mental health of the phoenix

community during these unprecedented times. I will cover how this organization makes a

difference in the community, the identities relevant to the organization, the organization’s social

capital, and how the organization mobilizes its volunteers to promote change.
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Teen Lifeline Inc. is a non profit organization here in Phoenix Arizona providing

supportive services and helping develop constructive coping skills as an alternative to suicide

(guidestar, 2020, p. 1). According to Lane (2020), “During June 24–30, 2020, U.S. adults

reported considerably elevated adverse mental health conditions associated with COVID-19.

Younger adults, racial/ethnic minorities, essential workers, and unpaid adult caregivers reported

having experienced disproportionately worse mental health outcomes, increased substance use,

and elevated suicidal ideation” (p.1). This organizations focus and preventive measures it puts in

place is essential to the times we are living in right now. Teen Lifeline saw the growing teen

suicide rate in AZ and according to the organizations website, Arizona’s teen suicide rate was

double the national average when the organization began. Teen Lifeline focuses on the identities

of the youth to empower them to make healthy decisions, enhance resiliency, and foster

supportive communities for struggling teens. To form associations with teens, Teen Lifeline’s

volunteers are teens as well which allows volunteers to identify more closely with the struggling

teen on the other end producing a more comfortable environment. Teen lifeline also creates an

identity with parents and educators providing information such as tips, and hyperlinks embedded

in the website making information easily accessible to all.

With the youth also being more technologically advanced than the older generations, in

2012, Teen lifeline launched its Facebook Page, 2013 the organization launched two twitter

feeds, and in 2015 launched an Instagram account as well for better connectivity, and to spread

awareness/education through the power of social media. The formation of these social media

accounts formed additional revenue of social capital by creating a space where teens outside the

phoenix area who may not have heard of this organization can get help, where educators and
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parents can connect and share experiences and provide real-life experiences with others that may

be struggling with the same thing while forming strong interpersonal relationships. Parents and

educators may feel like they are going through this alone, or they may feel like they don’t quite

know how to tackle this issue, and networking can create a greater sense of belonging and

identity. This growth of social capital can also help the organization find funding and build

relationships which would help the organization expand and develop resources. As seen on Teen

Lifelines Website, the organization has relied on social capital for funding including the grant

from the Marshall Fund of Arizona allowing the organization to serve the entire state, as well as

grants from TERROS and the Department of Education in order to help build the Peer Mediation

and Peer Education programs.

Teen Lifeline Inc. was built on civic engagement. The growing problem with teen suicide

in Arizona was addressed by the start of this organization in order to help the struggling Arizona

community. This organization is civically engaged by providing resources not only to teens, but

to the parents and educators that are also affected. Teen lifeline also hosts multiple events

throughout the year showing that it’s also socially engaged. Connections of Hope Dinner Event

is annual fundraiser thrown to celebrate this organizations work and raise awareness throughout

the community. An award is given as well for inspiration of a community role model, and to

recognize contributions that are made to the organization. Firetag Golf Tournament is another

event hosted by Teen Lifeline to honor Jules Firetag, an avid supporter and volunteer of the

organization. The third event is thrown during the month of September, Teen Suicide Awareness

Month, reaching out to the community with music, raffles, prizes as well as resources to educate

and inform the youth. Chains of Hope is hosted as well during the month of September, where
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passages of hope are written by teens and then linked together creating a paper link, sending a

message that there is hope even when people may feel like there isn’t any.

Dr. Jonathan Koppell stated in his lecture on Identities and Mobilization that service

requires action, and it is in our human nature for action to be taken collectively. For Teen

Lifeline, the volunteers, the people who choose to devote their extra time for the benefit of their

community and to make a difference are how the organization is able to mobilize. manifest.org

states “Passion for community growth is the main reason nonprofits start, and volunteering is a

key part of the growth. Volunteers bring diversity and personal experience to enhance

organizations.” Identities and mobilization go hand in hand, and in this case Teen Lifeline built

group mobilization around the identity of parents and educators concerned about their children’s/

students well being and also a horrific problem affecting Arizonas youth, and with the help of the

Arizona community, continue to make a difference. Like the Women’s Christian Temperance

Union, and the Farm Worker Movement led by Cesar Chavez we covered earlier in this course,

both movements are founded on groups compelled together through identities. Although the

movements we covered were more politically engaged as the WCTU created laws, and Cesar

Chavez led to farm worker contracts, all 3 organizations show the power and the impact

mobilization can have on a community.

Alexis De Tocqueville, a French Historian, noticed something about America that set us

apart from all other countries and that was the distinctiveness of American Democracy.

Democracy, to me, means power to the people, and as we’ve seen with Teen Lifeline and other

organizations/movements, we’ve seen how much power we have collectively. Tocqueville also

noticed on his visit to the United States that Americans had a habit of forming associations which
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is what the founder of Teen Lifeline did when starting up this organization. The founder gathered

people who shared the same identities and were compelled to end this teen crisis and make a

difference, and used that power for group mobilization to focus on saving teens lives. For

example, the WCTU focused on the prohibition of alcohol at first, then gained a massive support,

as many voices are listened to opposed to a single voice, and then was able to expand on other

issues such as child welfare and domestic violence just as Teen Lifeline was focused on the teens

and then was able to gain more support and funding to help parents and educators as well. These

changes were made possible by the tendency of Americans to always form associations and the

power of American Democracy and American Service seen within this organization.

Conclusion

This organization’s efforts, and the difference its making in teens lives is what drew me to

Teen Lifeline and with all the knowledge I have gathered throughout this course, it was exciting

for me to look at this organization in another perspective and see its role in civic engagement.

Researching Teen Lifeline and my role in this course has caused me to really introspect and

assess my own identities and compelled me to take action and make a difference in my

community as well. I’ve also gained a new appreciation for non profit organizations as I was able

to see how critical they can be in the the support and well being of communities. I want to thank

Teen Lifeline for their efforts and continued hard work in changing lives and it is my turn to do

the same.
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References

Zapata, Daniel. So How Do Nonprofit Organization Benefit Our Society? 10 July 2018,

www.manifezt.org/so-how-do-nonprofit-organization-benefit-our-society/.

Lane, Rashon. “Mental Health, Substance Use, and Suicidal Ideation During the COVID-19

Pandemic - United States, June 24–30, 2020.” Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 13 Aug. 2020, www.cdc.gov/

mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm6932a1.htm.

“TEEN LIFELINE INC.” TEEN LIFELINE INC - GuideStar Profile, www.guidestar.org/profile/

86-0966427.

“The Impact of Coronavirus on Households Across America.” RWJF, 7 Oct. 2020,

www.rwjf.org/en/library/research/2020/09/the-impact-of-coronavirus-on-households-

across-america.html.

Soucheray, Stephanie. “US Job Losses Due to COVID-19 Highest since Great Depression.”

CIDRAP, 8 May 2020, www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2020/05/us-job-losses-

due-covid-19-highest-great-depression.

“Events.” Teen Lifeline, 1 July 2020, teenlifeline.org/events/.

“History.” Teen Lifeline, 17 June 2019, teenlifeline.org/our-story/history-missions-

statementawards/.