Active Citizenship Essay

Active Citizenship

The word citizen is defined as “a native or naturalized member of a state or nation who owes allegiance to its government and is entitled to its protection” (Webster’s College Dictionary). Fulfilling the basic duties of a citizen is a fairly simple task for the average person. Going above and beyond these duties by becoming engaged in a community and giving to others separates the average citizen from an active citizen. According to the FACE IT Project, active citizens are “those who develop the skills, knowledge and understanding to be able to make informed decisions about their communities and workplaces with the aim of improving the quality of life in these” (http://www.faceitproject.org/active_citizenship.htm). An active citizen is a positive role model who is involved in public life at the local, state and/or national level and challenges the rules to make the world a better place.

A citizen can become active at many levels. The level closest to a person’s everyday life is the local level. Becoming active at the local level means being active in your community or town you live or work in. Volunteering is an easy thing to do that can include everyone. Like the United States, New Zealand is a nation known for volunteerism. Statistics show that each year 1.2 million people volunteer, giving more than 270 million hours of unpaid time back to the society (http://www.familyservices.govt.nz/my-family/community-life/becoming-an-active-citizen.html).

There are many ways to volunteer at the local level. Citizens can coach youth sports teams, ring the Salvation Army bell, join the fire department or a first responder group, set up a neighborhood watch to protect children, or deliver meals to the elderly, just to ...

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... generally have a strong desire to improve the world through activism. Instilling a desire to care about government and to keep it accountable are the keys to making sure our democracy continues to thrive (http://www.activecitizenship.org). Citizens can also support national candidates by attending rallies, handing out promotional materials and making phone calls to encourage support from others.

Most people can be a regular citizen with little effort. Becoming an active citizen is taking citizenship a step further. It means getting involved, giving to others by volunteering and promoting change to make things better. People can become active at all levels, local, state and national. As citizens of a country, a state or a local community, we have a responsibility to help make the world a better place and be positive role models for the next generation.