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Active Citizenship

Active citizenship refers to the rights and responsibilities of citizens to be engaged in their communities and the political process. It involves individuals participating in identifying and addressing issues in their local communities through activities like volunteering, campaigning, or community organizing. Active citizenship can take place at the local, national, or international level. It benefits societies by promoting participation, influencing decisions that affect people's lives, and creating a sense of community.

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81 views

Active Citizenship

Active citizenship refers to the rights and responsibilities of citizens to be engaged in their communities and the political process. It involves individuals participating in identifying and addressing issues in their local communities through activities like volunteering, campaigning, or community organizing. Active citizenship can take place at the local, national, or international level. It benefits societies by promoting participation, influencing decisions that affect people's lives, and creating a sense of community.

Uploaded by

John Mark Bance
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Active citizenship as defined in Hawthorn (2019) is a core concept

concerning the rights and responsibilities of citizens. Active citizenship pushes

people to be more engaged in the world around them. The involvement of

individuals in public life and affairs is also referred to as active citizenship (An

Introduction to Active Citizenship). Furthermore, active citizenship also signifies

that people are taking opportunities to become actively involved in identifying

and discussing problems of their communities and improving their quality of life

(Active Citizenship - Why is it Important).

There are various ways that an individual can be an active citizen (An

Introduction to Active Citizenship). In the local level, active citizens are those

who become actively involved in the life of their communities. It may be by

discussing problems in the community, creating change or opposing a change in

the community.

In the regional and national level, on the other hand, active citizenship

may be from exercising the right to vote, to being involved in campaigning

groups or to becoming a member of a political party.

In the international level, a global active citizen is someone who is

involved in movements to promote environmental sustainability or fair trade, to

reduce poverty or to eliminate people trafficking and slavery (An Introduction to

Active Citizenship).

Kofi Annan popularized a quote which says, "No one is born a good

citizen; no nation is born a democracy. Rather, both are processes that continue

to evolve over a lifetime. Young people must be included from birth. A society

that cuts off its youth severs its lifeline" (Gazzola, 2018). This implies that active

citizenship is not only for adults. Being young does not mean that you cannot do

anything to contribute for your community.

According to the Children as Active Citizens: Commintments and

Obligations for Children's Civil Rights and Civic Engagement in East Asia and

the Pacific, A Policy and Programme Guide, children and young people require
certain skills, information and knowledge for active citizenship.

Active citizenship involves the following competencies according to the

Children as Active Citizens: Commintments and Obligations for Children's Civil

Rights and Civic Engagement in East Asia and the Pacific.A Policy and

Programme Guide:

1. Social, emotional and moral skills and responsibilities

Develop good social relationships, including mediation and

negotiation skills and non-violent conflict resolution

Respect differences between people and accept decisions by other people

Decision-making and problem-solving skills

Communication skills

Develop self-confidence, self-esteem and responsibility

Self-awareness and critical-thinking skills

Coping with emotions and stress management

2. Community involvement and volunteering

Develop respect for the environment and promotes sustainable

development

Develop responsibilities for community life and citizenship

3. Political literacy and skills

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Strengthen respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms

Legal literacy: human rights, criminal and civil law, justice and the

rule of law

Promote tolerance for others, gender equality, equality of ethnic and

religious groups, persons with disabilities, people with different

sexual orientations and people living with HIV/AIDS

Government and politics, electoral systems, taxation, democracy,

budget

Media education should be introduced in school curricula for children to

develop critical understanding of all media forms and nurture a healthy

environment for debate

Meanwhile, according to Hawthom (2019), one of the most important

examples of active citizenship is being involved in the democratic process. Active

citizenship includes any action that promotes and sustains democracy which can

be through partisan manner (campaigning for a political party) or non-partisan

manner (campaigning to get out and vote).

Moreover, the idea of volunteering is considered to be vital element of

active citizenship (Hawthorn,2019). Hawthorn (2019) emphasized that those who

are interested in global issues might volunteer for international organizations that

feed or offer health care to people in war zones and developing countries, or

local charities. Some people may organize neighborhood watch groups, protest

unwanted development or campaign for the construction of affordable housing.

Another example is volunteering at a homeless shelter.onslab Isolevitc lonja

Active citizenship is important to any society. It allows for participation of

people in the community. It also enables people to influence the decisions which

affect their lives. It gives people knowledge and understanding of the political,

social, and economic contexts of their participation so that they can be

enlightened in making decisions. It also enables people to challenge existing

structures imposed on them (Active Citizenship - Why is it Important). A


Furthermore, Hawthorn (2019) stated that active citizenship is also

important because it can create a sense of community and belonging among the

people in the community. Being involved in the community can also reduce

loneliness and social isolation of some people. If people work in groups, they can

solve problems that might have otherwise overwhelmed them individually.

Hawthorn (2019) also added that active citizenship can also give personal

fulfillment to others.

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