Human rights

We all have a fundamental right as people – to our property, to our respect, to our freedom. Respecting other people in return for receiving respect  from others sounds a good deal to us. So how do we react when other people take other people’s rights for granted? What do you do about slavery? About abuse? About bullying? About crime? Being a citizen is about being aware of these things and taking action to make them better in the right way.

Making a good place to live

The place we live in is more than bricks and mortar. The place we live in is full of societies, systems and processes that make the world the way it is. Being a citizen is about understanding this and making a role for yourself  within these invisible communities. Will you be part of a family? A business? A charity? A sports team? When you do this, how will that move affect the rest of the world?
 

Happiness and identity

As citizens we have a collective ‘identity’. People might call you a teenager, or a Londoner, or a councillor for heroes – these are collective identities. Some people help to create a better identity through arts, or leisure or a sheer passion for something they like. Citizenship is about developing this sense of identity and happiness within yourself. Be confident in who you are, in what you enjoy, and then in how you use this to contribute to the people around you.

Understanding our environment

As citizens we share many things... the world itself is one thing we only have one of between us. As an individual, it is important to understand how we impact our world. Where was your food harvested? Where did the clothes you wear come from? Who made the last chair you sat on? We are all connected not just to people but to everything in nature. Citizenship is also about knowing how your life affects the earth.

Strength and conviction in doing the right thing

One of the hardest things in the world must be to 'go against the grain'. What happens when your belief and passion isn't shared by other people? If heroism is about making other people’s lives better, the greatest heroes may be those that do this against the mainstream. Strength and conviction in the right thing is about a belief in who you are, in what you achieve, and in making sure you are a positive person despite anything that is thrown at you.