- What is Citizenship?
- What is a Community?
- What decisions do we make that affect what sort of Citizen we are?
- Human Rights
- The Citizens Advice Bureau
- Other useful links
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What is citizenship?
As soon as we are born, we belong to a community. Citizenship is about being a member of these different communities and learning to live together. Understanding that there are many different types of communities and that these groups have different goals and values, helps us to live better within society. When we think of others, we must think of them with respect and be senstitive to their needs and know that the things we do have an effect on others. A community can be any group that is connected in a common way. Communities can be large or small. Your own family is one of the communities that you belong to, as is the town you live in. There are many different types of groups you can join, depending on the things you are interested in. |
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What is a Community? A community is a group of people who are connected in some way. Most people belong to several communities. Some of the communities that you may belong to are:
Each different community has a common theme that keeps them working together. For example, an environmental group all work to make the world a better place to live in, a church group all work together to worship their god and to support each other. Being part of a community is a role that everyone takes from the minute they are born. But as you get older, you are able to make choices on the different types of communities you want to belong to. |
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What decisions do we make that affect what sort of Citizen we are? Some decisions about our communities are made for us, for example the colour of our skin. This is something we cannot change, but the majority of the time, we can make decisions on the groups that we belong to. From an early age, we can decide what friends we have and which school groups we would like to join. It is things like belonging to different school groups and out-of-school clubs that shape the sort of citizens we become. School groups give you a voice to let people know your views and take your opinions seriously. Some school groups include: anti-bullying groups, debating groups and sport groups. It is important that everyone recognises that there are different communities and that every person has the same rights - no matter who they are. Being a good citizen means that you understand and accept that people are different and may have different values to you. It also means realising that the law is there to protect us and should not be broken. Being a good citizen means you understand and accept that you have a responsibility to be a good person and help others when you can. Some people decide to get more involved in their society than others. This can be done in many ways, from something as simple as taking an elderly persons dog for a walk, to becoming a member of a group that makes decisions for their community. You may have an anti-bullying campaign running in school - this sort of group needs people to run it and to help support those who are being bullied. Belonging to a group like this gives people the chance to have their say and get their opinions heard. Obviously, no-one is expecting you to be Superman or Woman, but just think before you do something to make sure that what you are doing does not upset anyone else, and to act responsibly within your communities and to help others if you can. |
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Human Rights People all over the world, regardless of their creed or colour, have what is called human rights. What this means is that every human being has the right to be treated fairly, regardless of what type of community they belong to. These rights are protected by the Human Rights Act 1998. The law states that nobody should live without the following basic human rights. The right to:
Anybody who feels that their human rights are not being met, can go to court to say so. It is illegal to deprive anyone of their human right. |
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The Citizens Advice Bureau At the Citizens Advice Bureau, we see many people who are not aware of what their rights are, and because of this they do not know what to do. We advise people on their rights for many different reasons. Some people come to us because they are having problems with their landlord, or they have bought something from a shop that is faulty and the shop is refusing to refund their money. We also advise people on their rights in a divorce, or a fall out with a neighbour. You name it, people come to us for help. On the odd occasion when we cannot help someone, we usually know somebody else who can. All our general advisors in the Bureau are volunteers - which means that they give us their time for free. This is a good way of playing an active role in the community. It is a way of giving society something back. Without volunteers, the Citizens Advice Bureau would not be able to run their 700 centres around the country. The role of the advice worker at the Bureau is to assist people in making decisions on how best to manage their problems. The Citizens Advice Bureau helps people with problems they may have on the following things:
At your local Citizens Advice Bureau, we can give free and independent advice and information on a wide range of subjects. Together we can work to sort out any debt worries and claim all the benefits that a client may be entitled to. We can advise on legal matters, and help with their housing problems, or deal with queries about consumer issues. We can answer questions about immigration, and we have lots of experience on family and personal matters too. |
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Other useful links: | |
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Citizenship
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