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"All politics is local"--Tip O'Neill (The late former Speaker of the House said it often[1] but didn't coin it)
Neighborhood associations are important community organizations that play a vital role in the development of civil society. They help to protect economic and social interests (Mesch & Schwirian, 1996), they strengthen links between residents and policy makers (Logan & Rabrenovic, 1990), increase participation in the political process (Berry, Portney, & Thompson, 1993), and help improve the quality of life for the citizens of countless communities through collective action (King, 2004).
--Matt Koschmann & Nicole M. Laster, 2011, p. 28.
Neighborhood associations date back in the US to essentially the founding of the country. They were one of the unique strengths of American democracy, as noted by Alexis DeTocqueville in his 19th-century writings on his travels in America, observing that local voluntary organizations kept citizens involved in their local politics but also connected them more directly to state and national elected representatives.
The power of the collective voice is of course evident to any elected official. Unions, congregations, and neighborhood associations have the ear of the politicians and can influence democracy at local, state, and national levels.
The requirements to being involved are few, since the neighborhood association is almost always entirely voluntary. The easiest way to approach them is to attend a meeting and find out if what you are good at might be of some value to your association.
They may need someone to liaise with a city department, a city council member, the precinct captain of the police, or any number of other possible relationships that can make the voice of your neighborhood more effective. They may appreciate your media talents for the local neighborhood monthly newsletter, or any number of other talents you have.
Let them know your limits--it may be an hour a week or three hours every day--they are used to having a real range of helpers.
Neighborhood associations knit civil society together to the extent that they have a diverse, active volunteer base.
References
Koschmann, M., & Laster, N. (2011). Communicative Tensions of Community Organizing: The Case of a Local Neighborhood Association.Western Journal of Communication, 75(1), 28–51. https://doi-org.proxy.lib.pdx.edu/10.1080/10570314.2010.536965
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