The Importance Of Global Citizenship In Canada

According to Keeping and Shapiro, “The term ‘global citizenship’ is increasingly heard, especially in Canada, but rarely defined.”(as citied in Block and Friesen, 2012, page 215) I believe if a person who would like to place their own identity with a global community through actions much more than their identity about values and practices, they will become a part of global citizenship. After learning in ELLA 0360 textbooks, there are three people that stand out. They are Dr. Christopher Opio, Lindsay Willms and David Suzuki.

The most important benefit of water changed in Uganda is through Dr. Christopher Opio’s actions. First of all, global citizenship is based on the population, it combines food, water and electric which are the three things

that people cannot live without. Opio’s actions changed the water significantly, save people’s life. Organize people to support them that are the second level of actions. He is a middle-aged professor who born in Uganda. When he went back his country, he and other volunteers build the wells. He is saving lives from dirty water. The research found that nearly 1.4 million children died by dirty water, and it caused 2.2 million people die from contaminated water, the water which combined bacteria, viruses and parasites(Macpherson, 2011, as citied in Block and Friesen, 2012). This research suggests that choosing to drink clean water, with its higher protected of clean, such as no bacteria and no viruses may even decrease the death rate of people. More specifically, clean water is much healthier choices for children. By Opio’s actions, he is improving the quality of life. Because of his own experiences, he felt empathy about these children. He wanted the people in Uganda can live in an environmentally sustainable way. He let the people who prefer the clean water and it may cost them a whole day to get it from a far distance place can have a rest or get a chance to play. He saved the people’s time. Furthermore, the children who drink clean water, do not experience the negative health effects of grown drinking other ‘dangerous’ water. He also actives in the community, he volunteers because he wanted to be a good example and empower the future generations. In fact, he educated the students on the need to be the change agents and good citizens for communities by developing vision (planning) documents which is he active in the community through shared his own opinions (“Christopher Opio: Why I volunteer”, 2010).
Lindsay Willms is another person who benefits the global citizenship. The main benefit is she became a volunteer who can help the kids with special needs. Same as other diligent, the main idea of volunteer is help the person to overcome the challenges. In this situation, Lindsay Willms did well through her labour of love. In her life, she replaced work by volunteer. In her opinion, she wants to demonstrate the positive power of giving back to the community, so she took responsibilities for actions. A researcher at the Hospital for Sick Children (Sick Kids) in Toronto found that all kids need to play, no matter they got sick or ill. That because until age 10, children prefer to bond with peers through play and physical activity instead of sit or talk (Macpherson, 2011, as citied in Block and Friesen, 2012). In addition, while taking care of the children is strenuous initially, it is obviously to see that took care of the sick child is more tiring. She gave her most of the time to take care of the children, no one is more suitable than her become a special-education teacher. After that, she supported the equal opportunity for these kids who with special needs. She brought these kids play outside like other normal children. She gives some opportunities to those children who have a family history of birth defects to let them look like a normal person. In fact, researchers have found that, exercise connect with the mood in people’s brain. And it may give the sick kids a kind of life hope to enjoy the physical actions (Macpherson, 2011, as citied in Block and Friesen, 2012). Together, Lindsay Willms who had planned to go to law school, but her volunteer experiences appear more valuable. She indicates the main rules of the global citizenship through her own “hardworking”. Follow standard global citizenship’s aspects, Lindsay Willims had become a leader of these situations.
Another example of a person who excellent involved in global citizenship is David Suzuki who is Canadian educator, broadcaster and activist.

In his motivation, he clearly demonstrated how to think critically and bring educate to the world. At the beginning of his global citizenship’s life, he got Ph.D. in zoology at the University of Chicago through his own hardworking. After that, he enjoyed in the CBC Television program in Vancouver. In fact, David Suzuki is a clear thinker, did well in the science and environment, which two are really connected. He shared his own knowledge and critical thinking such as some positive outlook on life with the person who prefer to listen the radio or the person looks the TV something like to support a handful of naysayers to create confusion in the minds of the public (Rothschild, 2010). Therefore, as a doctor, if he cannot make himself understand the lessons or speeches, how will he explain it to others? He asked friend for help, figure out the human’s interaction with the environment. Next, as a persuasive grassroots activist, he mobilized the Canadians eventually led to the ‘David Suzuki Foundation’, while the foundation influenced the Canadian public, he brought the education and change the society. He won the McGovern Award which recognizes a researcher who has made an outstanding contribution to science and society. The research found that he founded the long running radio series Quirks and Quarks and has presented two influential documentary series on the environment for CBC Radio. Some First Nations honours, Officer of the Order of Canada and founder of the David Suzuki Foundation. He has 15 honorary doctorates from universities in Canada, the U.S. and Australia (“Canadian David Suzuki to Receive 2004 McGovern Award”, 2004). Thus, the methods of his working associated with people, environment and education. This is important because his words deeply illustrated the main causes of global things, which is having devastating

consequences for the global citizenship, throughout the world.
To sum up, according to the three people’s actions, we can clear to see how the aspects affect the global citizenship. Although in Dr. Christopher Opio’s action, he saved children in his own country which is Uganda, he led the kids live without the dangerous water, but in Lindsay Willms’s actions she spent her own time to help the children with difficult problems, it sounds more care about the society. By the way, in David Suzuki’s motivation, he shared his own knowledge with peoples on the radio and television, it really develop the human’s steps. Through these three people hardworking, the global citizenship can be succeeded.