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Active citizenship http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Active_citizenshipFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Active citizenship generally refers to a philosophy espoused by some organizations and educational institutions. It often states that members of companies or nation-states have certain roles and responsibilities to society and the environment, although those members may not have specific governing roles.
Active citizenship can be seen as an articulation of the debate over rights versus responsibilities. If a body gives rights to the people under its remit, then those same people might have certain responsibilities to uphold. This would be most obvious at a country or nation-state level, but could also be wider, such as global citizenship. The implication is that an active citizen is one who exercises both their rights and responsibilities in a balanced way. A problem with this concept is that although rights are often written down as part of law, responsibilities are not as well defined, and their may be disagreements amongst the citizens as to what the responsibilities are. For example, in the UK, citizens have the right to free healthcare, but voting in elections is not compulsory, even though many people would define this as a responsibility.
Writing a clear definition of responsibilities for an active citizen is much more problematic than writing a list of rights. For example, although voting might be considered a basic responsibility by many people, there are some who through disability or other issue are not able to participate fully in the voting process.
Active citizenship can be considered a buzzword by some, due to its ambiguous definition.
Examples of active citizenship in education
Due to concerns over such things as a lack of interest in elections (reflected by low voter turnout), the British Government launched a Citizenship education programme several years ago. Citizenship education is now compulsory in UK schools up to age 14, and is often available as an option beyond that age.
In Scotland, UK, active citizenship has been one of the three major themes of CommunityPolicy since The Osler Report (section 6.6) in 1998. The most recent Scottish Executive guidelines for Community Learning and Development, Working and Learning Together, has active citizenship as a target within other policy aims.
"Active Citizen/Passive Citizen" This cartoon mocks the distinction between active and passive citizens. Many revolutionaries hated this difference, essentially dividing those with property from those without. The propertied (active) were the only ones who could participate in the political process. Source: mfr 89.181 http://www.volunteercentres.org.uk/Active-Citizens/What.htm What is an Active Citizen?
Have You...
Are You...
http://www.activecitizenship.net/
Ever helped a neighbour with their shopping?
Taken part in a campaign to change or improve something in your neighbourhood?
Answered a questionnaire about the quality of a public service you receive?
Involved in community events?
A volunteer for a charity or group?
A trustee, school governor or management committee member?
If you can answer 'YES' to any of the questions above then, though you may not realise it, you are an active citizen!
Social Sciences and Official Publications (SS & OP)
THE ACTIVE CITIZEN
Introduction
This resource guide is not about enabling you to interact with government online in the sense of accessing public services on the web. The government is developing its own citizen's portal, Ukonline, to facilitate the online delivery of services in the longer term. Our objective is to develop a modest collection of links to promote active citizenship, to facilitate participation in the community, in civic action and in the development of public services at local and national level.
Contents
Your Government - Keeping Track of National Policy
Regional Government - Keeping Track of the Devolved Administrations
The European Union - Its Impact on You
Influencing Government