L6MG’s guide to... CITIZEN Get On Board!

What a citizen is entitled to: The right to work and live legally within a particular society. The right to have their views and beliefs respected by other members of society. To live a free and unrestricted life within the laws set out within that country. The ability to vote and have a say in what you believe is the best possible way for your society to progress. Admittedly all quite wordy and complicated, but really what being a citizen entitles a person to do, is to live a life free from prejudice and discrimination and to take an active role in society.

But as they say in Spiderman: “With great power, comes great responsibility...” ...and this is a fundamental concept of being a citizen. As a citizen, you are entitled to a wide variety of privileges. But with these liberties, comes a large responsibility.

...and you are the perfect citizen and good role model in our society. Responsibility-The behind becoming a successful citizen. Reliable Encouraging Selfless Positive Optimistic Neighbourly Sympathetic Interactive Brave Interested Loyal Intelligent Tolerant Youthful If you have all the qualities mentioned in the responsibility acrostic , it’s a big.... ...and you are the perfect citizen and good role model in our society.

Lets zoom in on Britain: what do we, as citizens living in Britain, often stereotype as typically British?

1.Talking about the weather We surveyed 100 people about the 5 things they associate most with Britain citizens (for example wanting a good tan) and the results were... THE TOP 5: 1.Talking about the weather 2.Sarcasm 3.The class system 4. Stiff upper lip 5. Ability to queue

You can see that within different societies or countries the way the citizens behave, or are perceived to behave is different. In Britain, people have evolved to have certain interests and beliefs, that may be very different to somewhere like India... ...but... ...fundamentally, the basic principles of living in a peaceful and flourishing society are similar universally. The characteristics that are needed for people to become the ‘perfect’ citizen are present everywhere.

2 words: selfless and selfish. Both words look similar, first 4 letters are the same, but the effects these words have on the world we live in couldn’t be more different. Selfless Self

So…what does citizenship mean to us? What can we do?

Active Citizenship: So, what can you do? .... The term 'citizenship' is also used to refer to involvement in public life and affairs – that is, to the behaviour and actions of a citizen. It is sometimes known as active citizenship. Citizenship in this sense is applied to a wide range of activities – Voting in elections and standing for political office. But more importantly it refers not only to rights and responsibilities laid down in the law, but also to general forms of behaviour– social and moral – which societies expect of their citizens. So, what can you do? ....

take responsibility in your actions. Behaviour – take responsibility in your actions. That means be responsible when drinking, don’t forget that drinking will not only affect your health, but the bad behaviour that comes with it can have a negative effect on your whole community.....violence, crime, noise pollution. The actions that you take, will always effect others........ ....make sure that your actions have a positive effect. Think before you do.

Our community and the elderly: Little things you can do: Help make where you live a better place, we have the responsibility for looking after our homes and community...if you see rubbish on the street, (or in the common room) pick it up and put it in the bin. The elderly begin to struggle to do things we may see as second nature, so why not be a good citizen and help them cross the road

Reduce -Reuse - RECYCLE The environment: We must take action NOW in rescuing our environment, or it won’t be here for our children to see in the beautiful state we know it is. An area the size of a football pitch is being lost every 10 seconds, we must act now. Reduce -Reuse - RECYCLE

Citizenship We can’t help everyone, but everyone can Help someone.