If you’re looking to get more involved in your local community, there’s a quick and easy way to start doing that: read the meeting minutes.

Your city’s government, library, school board, and other institutions are required by law to post their meeting agendas, minutes, and other reports online, and I’ve found that even just skimming them is a great way to see what issues are being discussed and decided on, what different initiatives and changes are coming, and other stuff that’s often boring but also affects my everyday life—good and bad—more than national and global politics do. Don’t worry about reading every document—just know that they’re there and can help you be better informed.