PersEf-Mod.-Active-Citizenship- PDF

NAVOTAS POLYTECHNIC COLLEGE Bangus Street corner Apahap Street Barangay North Bay Boulevard South, Navotas City Course Title: Personal Effectiveness Section: Schedule: Name of Faculty: Lilia D. Padilla Module Number: 6 Lesson Tit...

NAVOTAS POLYTECHNIC COLLEGE Bangus Street corner Apahap Street Barangay North Bay Boulevard South, Navotas City Course Title: Personal Effectiveness Section: Schedule: Name of Faculty: Lilia D. Padilla Module Number: 6 Lesson Title Topic: Week Number: Active Citizenship INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES 1. increase participation by young people in the civic life of their community; 2. increase participation by young people in the system of representative democracy 3. provide greater support for various forms of learning to participate. 4. show concern for the welfare and dignity of others LEARNING AND TEACHING SUPPORT MATERIALS 1. Worksheets 2. Notes 3. Textbooks 4. Power point presentation LECTURE PROPER AND DISCUSSIONS What is active citizenship? Active citizenship means people getting involved in their communities and democracy at all levels from local to national and global. An active citizen promotes the quality of life in a community through both political and non-political process developing a combination of knowledge, skills, values and motivation to work to make a difference in the society.. Different Levels of Active citizenship Individuals might be active in their communities in many different ways. Some people choose to get involved in issues or causes that directly affect their lives at a local level, while others might want to do something to make a difference to a cause that has an impact globally. Below is an outline of the different usages of the term ‘Active Citizen’ It is used most often at local level to refer to citizens who become actively involved in the life of their communities; tackling problems, bringing about change or resisting unwanted change. Active citizens are those who over time develop the skills, knowledge and understanding to be able to make informed decisions about their communities and workplaces with the aim of improving quality of life in them. At regional and national level, it can move from voting in democratic processes, to being involved in campaigning groups, to becoming a member of a political party Civil participation: people getting involved with each other to pursue their own goals and interests; such as resident’s associations, sports clubs, faith groups etc. Civic engagement: the more formal routes of public participation in the process of governance such as through user panels, citizens’ juries, citizen governors, nonexecutive boardmembers, advisory groups, etc. However, this is a rather narrow perspective and doesn’t reflect the full spectrum of the of the work that people volunteer to undertake (mostly unpaid) for the benefit of others in their community and beyond. Most people find it more helpful to think about ‘active citizenship’ by what motivates people to become involved. This helps to define what each form of citizenship offers to the individual, what they learn about local people and communities, as well as the kinds of activities in which they are involved. Some examples follow: they are not exclusive one from another, and many citizens will participate at any combination of these: The citizen motivated by the sense of personal responsibility - The citizen who recognizes the importance of taking part in government elections, who becomes increasingly aware of individual rights of citizenship as well as the responsibilities that this places on every adult. This citizen will not only vote at elections; they may be good neighbors (helping others less physically able than they are), but many also become volunteers, involved in activities of charities and similar bodies across their area concerned with issues in which the citizen has a particular or personal interest. This includes those who become school governors, or who become trustees of a local charity as a consequence of skills and knowledge they already possess. The citizen motivated by justice and fairness - The justice orientated citizen who seeks to develop a high level of awareness of collective rights and of collective political and social responsibility. This person primarily participates within groups, taking responsibility for engaging with issues of social justice and equality, actively challenging unequal relations of power and promoting social solidarity and justice as appropriate: this could be both within their local area or much wider, and might also be taking account of the world-wide context. Active Citizenship Can Change Your Country For the Better the role of schools in active citizenship The students did not express a high level of solidarity. They are disillusioned with politics, democracy and social issues. Students prefer a less democratic, stronger-handed, more authoritarian approach. They are not interested in any of the political parties. Still, representatives of radical, extreme political views are generally more acceptable for them, than mainstream political parties. Teachers compared to students, find democratic values more important and are more likely to reject anti-democratic activity. Nonetheless, findings concerning teachers are also characterized by distrust and disappointment with regard to politics. Despite these findings, participation and engagement are judged important by students and they would welcome a stronger community life in their schools. Through research we found that teachers—for many different reasons—avoid discussing social and political issues. Without an open and encouraging environment for students to discuss social and political experiences and questions, this can only sow the seeds of insecurity, fear and confusion and open the way for radical answers often offered from outside of the school. Citizenship education has an important role to play here. What recommendations do you make to improve active citizenship? Educational programs need to be developed to improve competencies like co-operation and communication as well working to increase critical ability, reduce prejudice and build tolerance, understanding, empathy, and an openness to diversity. During the research, tailored programs were developed to address these competencies and were positively received by participants. More widespread endorsement and implementation is now required. Citizenship, relationship between an individual and a state to which the individual owes allegiance and in turn is entitled to its protection. Citizenship implies the status of freedom with accompanying responsibilities. Citizens have certain rights, duties, and responsibilities that are denied or only partially extended to aliens and other noncitizens residing in a country. In general, full political rights, including the right to vote and to hold public office, are predicated upon citizenship. References: What is Citizenship” guide by Institute for Citizenship http://www.citizen.org.uk/what-iscitizenship.html https://www.gov.uk/browse/citizenship newspaper articles ACKNOWLEDGEMENT TO AUTHORS AND OTHER CREATOR Lilia D. Padilla EdD, LPT