What is Active Citizenship? Julia Fiehn Project Manager Post-16 Citizenship Development Programme

The Vision n ‘We aim at no less than a change in the political culture of this country both nationally and locally: for people to think of themselves as active citizens, willing, able and equipped to have an influence in public life…’

The need  Ignorance and apathy are a threat to democracy (‘don’t know and don’t care’)  Young people are often cynical about being able to influence things (’what’s the point?’)  Feelings of exclusion in some communities lead to alienation  Complex social issues are over-simplified by the mass media

Being a ‘good’ citizen  A good citizen obeys the law  A good citizen minimises offence to others (for example, is considerate in relation to noise, litter etc.)  A good citizen recognises responsibilities and rights of him/herself and others, and helps others  It is possible to be a ‘good citizen’ in an autocratic AND in a democratic society  We NEED the majority of people to be good citizens if society is to function

Being an ‘active’ citizen  A ‘good’ citizen becomes an ‘active’ citizen when he/she feels the need to try to change things, to make a difference,alone or with others  From ancient times, citizenship has meant the right to take part in public debate and shape (directly or indirectly) the laws and decisions of state.

Being an ‘active’ citizen continued  The law should be obeyed, but future citizens should discuss the difference between law and justice.  Active citizens need the skills to change laws in a peaceful manner  Active citizens rock boats, are sometimes critical and are prepared to whistle-blow

The three strands of ‘effective education for citizenship’  Social and moral responsibility (essential precondition of citizenship, beginning in families and primary schools)  Community involvement: -getting involved in the local community, including volunteering -having a say in the school/college/training organisation/workplace/youth group  Political literacy (knowledge and skills required to influence decisions in formal and informal groups, locally and nationally)

Volunteering and community involvement  An important and necessary part of our democracy  Volunteering alone is not sufficient. It is vital that young people learn FROM such activity (knowledge, skills and values)  Learning occurs through refection and review

Representation and having a say  May involve a change of ethos in the organisation  Student/worker committees, project advisory groups,Youth Councils, all promote greater involvement in decision-making processes  But how to encourage all to get involved, not just the articulate few? We need to find new forms of involvement

Political literacy  Democracy requires its members to know about and understand certain concepts: fairness, justice, freedom, power and authority, the rule of law  Young people will also need to know how to find out about processes and structures  They will need the skills required to engage with others, to negotiate and to represent peers  But most important is the willingness to engage in political activity and to believe they have a right and a duty to engage

Reflection and review  In a post-16 context, much of citizenship activity is individual  We need to find manageable ways of allowing for reflection and review of the activity  The right questions need to be put: Why is this issue a problem? What needs to be done? Who could make a difference? How could we help? What does this tell us about society?

Some suggestions  Involve the young adults in the planning of the programme, consult them, ask them to set up steering groups  Work with them to run awareness-raising events (conferences, speakers, debates etc.) and extend political literacy through enrichment programmes, or existing courses  Plan for real meaningful activity, in and out of the organisation  Build in reflection and review as part of the process