An agent for change

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An agent for change?
Active Citizenship 'take part take power

• Presentation by
• Isis Amlak

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.the starting point

• Citizen - a native or naturalized member of a
  state or other political community
• Active citizen - a citizen who takes an active
  role in the community e.g. members of
  neighbourhood watch schemes

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What is Active Citizenship?

• It is about taking part
• It is about participation in the community
• It goes further than participation, it also aims
  to create the conditions for positive change.

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Some definitions

• 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 sit within many
  different normative frameworks and does not
  necessitate a legalistic view of citizenship.
  Active Citizenship is probably best understood
  from its rich connotations in political
  philosophy especially that of civic
  republicanism which is a close ally of the idea
  of social capital.
• An active citizen is one who exercises both their
  rights and responsibilities in a balanced way.

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Active Citizenship The scope

• It is a broad concept that includes
  participation, both at an informal and formal
  level, in political, social and cultural
  activities
• It is a buzz word, currently at the centre of
  the national, European and international social
  policy agenda in particular in relation to
  social cohesion and social capital
• active citizenship is strongly related to
  civic engagement and that it plays a crucial
  role in building social capital. The
  resulting high levels of social trust foster
  further cooperation between people and reduce the
  chances of anti-social conduct (Robert Putnam
  2000).

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Active Citizenship Not only in the UK

• USA "Active Citizenship" is defined as having
  participated regularly as a volunteer in a
  community-based program for a period of time that
  well exceeds State of Illinois and City of
  Chicago graduation requirements
• Australia On Australia Day, 26th January, Active
  Citizenship Awards are presented to recipients
  who have fostered Australian pride and spirit
  through active citizenship and outstanding
  contribution to community.
• The Irish report There is a need to broaden the
  idea of citizenship to comprise a sense of civic
  duty, interdependence alongside rights and
  responsibilities. Indeed, the very notion of
  cultural assimilation needs to be contrasted by
  notions of inter - culturalism based on a common
  civic set of values and identities. The challenge
  is to identify what this common set looks like in
  any given country or time.

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The European Context

• The ETGACE research project considered the
  following questions
• How do people learn to become active citizens
  and to take part in governance?
• How are active citizenship and governance being
  affected by current social and economic changes?
  
• What connections are there between how people
  practice active citizenship at work and in
  society, and their citizenship of nations and
  states?
• How far do we need to think of citizenship in
  different terms f or men and women? Is learning
  to become citizens is different for men and
  women different for men and women?
• Should education for citizenship be different
  for men and women?
• What educational strategies and approaches are
  likely to be effective in the learning of
  citizenship?

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Citizenship

• Citizenship is not a new concept, it has been
  documented and was recognised in many ancient
  societies. In classical Greek history, citizenry
  of Athens was limited, slaves, women, and
  resident foreigners (called metics) were excluded
  from political rights
• There is evidence of limitations to citizenship
  being placed on members of societies, states and
  nations throughout history. One of the most
  recent examples being the former South African
  regimes policy of apartheid.

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So much more!!?

• Education The 1998 report by the Advisory Group
  on Citizenship states that one of the main aims
  of Citizenship education is "for people to think
  of themselves as active citizens, willing, able
  and equipped to have an influence in public
  life
• The feminist movement One of the central demands
  of the womens movement has been and continues to
  be womens exercise of their full and active
  citizenship, which historically was denied
  because women were not recognized as equals when
  concepts of citizenship were established and
  defined during the 18th century

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An agent for change?

• Citizenship although not a new concept derived
  its current definition during the 18th century
  it is an internationally recognised concept
• Not every one at every time is afforded
  citizenship
• There are different approaches to defining Active
  citizenship, which may include notions such as
  rights v responsibilities, social capital etc
• At its core is the notion of participation not
  only in community activities or political
  activities, It ranges from cultural and political
  to environmental activities, on local, regional,
  national, European and international levels
• Active citizenship encompasses, but goes beyond
  the notion of taking part, it is about achieving
  positive change

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To conclude

• There is a need to encourage participation, to
  inform and provide opportunities for effective
  active participation at all levels, it goes
  beyond volunteering and participating in
  neighborhood watch schemes
• There is mounting evidence in the UK and across
  Europe of individuals and communities disengaging
  in traditional democratic processes, while
  governments and other institutions have become
  less accessible and insufficiently accountable
  to their stakeholders
• There is a need to support the move towards more
  decentralized political and social structures, so
  as to enable citizens to play a more active part

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To conclude

• If we want to bring about change at a grassroots
  level, change that we feel takes account of our
  voices, we need to be re-engaged as active
  citizens, and enabled to take informed decisions
  about their lives, communities and workplaces
• The concept of active citizenship must be
  underpinned by ethical boundaries. Activities
  and initiatives for change must support the
  community and should not contravene principles of
  human rights and the rule of law. Participation
  in extremist groups that promote intolerance and
  violence should therefore not be included in this
  definition of active citizenship.