Lesson video

Hi, I'm Mrs. Allchin, and I'm going to be taking you through your citizenship lesson today.

I'm going to be giving you all the information that you need to be successful, and I'll be pausing and telling you when you need to complete a check for understanding or a larger task.

I hope you enjoy the lesson.

This lesson is called "How Can We Be Active Citizens?" and it's taken from the unit of lessons: "Citizenship: What's It All About?" By the end of this lesson, you will be able to explain what active citizenship is and what skills are needed to bring about positive change.

Our keywords for today's lesson are: "community," which is a group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common; "active citizenship," which is the process of learning how to take part in democracy and using citizenship knowledge, skills, and understanding to try to make a positive difference in the world; and "active citizen," a person who actively takes responsibility, becomes involved in areas of public concern, and tries to make a positive difference in their community.

Our lesson outline for "How Can We Be Active Citizens?" is, first, we're going to look at what is an active citizen.

We're then going to look at how can we bring about social change, and then we're going to consider what skills do we need to be active citizens.

So let's start by looking at: What is an active citizen? Active citizenship is a process of learning how to take part in democracy and using citizenship knowledge, skills, and understanding together to try to make a positive difference in the world.

So Jacob's saying, "A democracy is a system of government in which citizens vote in regular, fair elections for representatives who then make laws and decisions on their behalf." And that's why it's really important that we understand about active citizenship and how we can also play a part in society.

An active citizen is a person who actively takes responsibility, becomes involved in areas of public concern, and tries to make a positive difference in their community.

An active citizen is someone who cares about their community enough to want to change it.

They take an active role in their community and society in order to bring about a positive change for themselves and others.

So let's have a check for understanding.

Which three of the following are characteristics of an active citizen? A, they know how to take part in democracy.

B, they strive to make a positive difference.

C, they care about their community.

And D, they have lots of followers on social media.

And it's A, B, and C.

Do you recognise this picture? Pause and have a think.

So, Bayard Rustin and Rosa Parks are examples of active citizens from history.

You might have learned about these people before.

Both of these people were involved in the Civil Rights Movement in America in the 1950s.

This movement aimed to give African Americans the same rights as white Americans and to end segregation, so where people were separated due to their race.

So this was that system where many public services, such as transport, were divided on racial lines, so there were spaces for Black people and spaces for white people.

In 1955, Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white man on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama.

At the time, Montgomery buses had discriminatory laws.

The front seats of the bus were reserved for white people, and Black people had to sit at the back.

Parks was arrested for her protest, and her actions inspired the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

This was a civil rights protest in which African Americans refused to use Montgomery's buses until segregated bus seating was brought to an end.

So that's what a boycott means: to stop using a service or stop doing a certain thing as a means of protest.

Bayard Rustin was also a key person within this movement.

He was a key organiser of the 1963 March on Washington.

This was one of the largest non-violent political demonstrations against racial discrimination in America.

Over 250,000 people attended the protest to show their support for changes to civil rights laws.

So, let's have a check for understanding.

Which image best represents what Bayard Rustin and Rosa Parks were campaigning for? Is it A, B, or C? So look carefully at the pictures and make your decision.

And it was A.

For task A, I want you to have a look at this quote from Bayard Rustin, and I want you to discuss what you think Bayard Rustin meant when he said this.

And then I'd like you to write one paragraph explaining why Bayard Rustin and Rosa Parks are good examples of active citizens.

So let's have a look at that quote: "We need, in every community, a group of angelic troublemakers." So, pause while you have a go at this task.

So in discussing what you think Bayard Rustin meant by this, you might have talked about or you might have included: I think Rustin meant that society needs people who are not afraid to question things that are not fair and who are brave enough to stand up for things they believe in.

He's suggesting that communities need active citizens.

I think he uses the words "angelic troublemakers" because although their actions may cause problems or disruption, they are doing these things in order to improve society for the better.

And then, when you were having a thought about why Bayard and Rosa Parks were good examples of active citizens, your answer might have looked like this: An active citizen is a person who takes responsibility, becomes involved in areas of public concern, and tries to make a positive difference in their community.

Rustin is an example of an active citizen because he spoke out about something he felt was wrong.

He's best known for being the leader of the March on Washington, one of the largest nonviolent protests in US history.

Rosa Parks is also an example of an active citizen because she stood up for what she believed in.

She showed great courage when she refused to give up her bus seat to a white person in 1955, and her actions helped start the Montgomery Bus Boycott, which aimed for equal rights for African Americans.

So we've had a look at what is an active citizen.

We are now going to consider: How can we bring about social change? Social change is changes which occur over time.

There are different types of social change, for example, changes in behavioural patterns, cultural values, and also social structures.

Social change can occur on different levels.

So it can happen locally, and it can also happen globally as well.

There are lots of different methods that active citizens can use to bring about social change.

For example, there's petitioning, protesting, boycotting, lobbying, and involving experts.

Right, we're now going to do some check for understanding to really make sure that we understand what some of these words mean.

So the first one is: What is petitioning? Is it A, joining together as a group and taking to the streets to campaign? B, meeting with a person who represents you either locally or nationally? C, gathering signatures to show support for a cause? Or is it D, refusing to buy a product or use a service as a protest? And it's C, gathering signatures to show support for a cause.

So petitions can be paper-based, or they can be made and shared online.

And ultimately, by signing your name on that petition, you are saying you are agreeing with whatever that petition is about.

So, it's a really, really great method for campaigning and being an active citizen because it gives you proof about how many people back your issue that you are campaigning about.

Let's have a look at another one.

What is protesting? Is it A, joining together as a group and taking to the streets to campaign? B, meeting with a person who represents you, either locally or nationally? Is it C, gathering signatures to show support for a cause? Or D, refusing to buy a product or use a service as a protest? And it's the first one: A, joining together as a group and taking to the streets to campaign.

So that could be as a static group assembling together.

That could be a moving, walking protest, and you might have seen some of these in your local area.

What about lobbying? So is lobbying A, joining together as a group and taking to the streets to campaign? B, meeting with a person who represents you, either locally or nationally? C, gathering signatures to show support for a cause? Or D, refusing to buy a product or use a service as a protest? So, lobbying, that's one of the trickier words.

You might not have come across that word before, but it ultimately is to meet with a person who represents you, either locally or nationally.

So people might lobby their local councillors, or they might lobby their local MP, for example.

It just means that you are meeting with them; you're making contact with them to talk about issues that matter to you.

Which leaves us with: What is boycotting? Which you might be able to work out through process of elimination, but let's go through them anyway.

Is it A, joining together as a group and taking to the streets to campaign? B, meeting with a person who represents you, either locally or nationally? C, gathering signatures? Or D, refusing to buy a product or use a service as a protest? And it is D, refusing to buy a product or use a service as a protest.

So we saw this with the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

So, there were actually people refusing to use the bus as a boycott.

People might also boycott a certain shop, for example, if they're concerned about human rights abuses.

So if you are boycotting something, you're refusing to either engage with a service, to buy certain products, and that is what a boycott is.

And that's a part of a campaign as well.

So well done for going through those keywords.

Jamie Oliver is a celebrity chef who campaigns on issues regarding healthy eating.

He's an example of a modern-day active citizen.

In 2004, he led a successful campaign to ban junk food and processed food from school canteens.

So Andeep is asking, "How did he do it?" You might know this yourself.

Have you learned anything about Jamie Oliver, or do you know anything about what he actually did in schools? So he used lots of different methods.

So he started petitions, and he managed to get 271,677 people to sign an online petition on the Feed Me Better website.

In 2005, it was delivered to the prime minister at 10 Downing Street.

He also involved lots of experts in his campaign.

He spoke with nutritionists and doctors who he knew the government would listen to about how important it was to make school dinners healthier.

And he did lots to raise awareness.

He used his celebrity status to get media coverage, and he was regularly interviewed on TV, and he was also featured in lots of newspapers.

He also had a TV show on Channel 4 called "After School Dinners," where he promoted his ideas.

The campaign was a huge success.

In 2005, the then Prime Minister Tony Blair committed 280 million pounds to improve school dinners.

In 2006, the Department for Children, Schools and Families invested 240 million pounds to help keep the cost of school dinners low.

And in 2008, basic nutrition standards for school dinners were introduced for the first time, and this told schools ultimately what they could or couldn't serve as a part of their school dinners to ensure that children were having a healthy diet whilst at school.

Let's have a check for understanding.

Jamie Oliver used lots of different methods to make his campaign a success, but which method is missing from the list below? We've got petitioning, raising awareness.

What are we missing? Involving experts.

He spoke with nutritionists and doctors who he knew the government would listen to.

For task B, I would like you to do the following.

So we're going to have a look at some information, and you're going to be set a task.

So Marcus Rashford is a famous footballer and another example of a modern-day active citizen.

I want you to read the information below, and on the next slide, describe three methods he used to create social change.

So we're going to read through some information, and then you're going to describe three different methods that he used to create social change.

In 2020, during the global coronavirus pandemic, Marcus Rashford campaigned to extend the provision of free school meals.

He did not think it was fair that children who were eligible for free school meals during term time did not receive free meals during the school holidays.

Rashford took to social media.

He shared messages from organisations that were promising free meals to vulnerable children to highlight the problem.

Rashford then wrote a letter to the government, asking them to change their policy around free school meals.

He also started a petition that was signed by more than one million people.

The campaign was a success, and the government agreed to extend free school meals during the holidays.

Rashford also partnered with major food brands to form the Child Food Poverty Task Force, which aims to tackle child food poverty.

To pause and complete task B, thinking about the methods that he used.

So when describing the three different methods that he used, your answers may have included: raising awareness.

Rashford used his social media following to generate awareness for his campaign.

Petitioning.

Rashford started a petition, which was signed by more than one million people.

And lobbying.

Rashford wrote to the government to try and convince them to change their policy on free school meals.

We're now going to have a look at: What skills do we need to be active citizens? Citizenship education develops the knowledge, skills, and understanding that you need so that you can play a full part in society as responsible and active citizens.

In order to be an active citizen, you need lots of different skills like effective communication, critical thinking, analytical skills, and research skills.

These are just a few examples.

There are many more skills that you will develop on your active citizenship journey.

Let's have a check for understanding.

Which of the following skills are not needed in order to be an active citizen? Is it A, listening; B, communication; or C, leadership? And it's C, leadership.

"Some people think that only natural leaders can make a difference and be active citizens.

Whilst leadership skills might help in situations, many active citizens work behind the scenes.

You don't need to be a leader to be an active citizen." Anyone could be an active citizen.

Active citizens like Rosa Parks, Bayard Rustin, Jamie Oliver, and Marcus Rashford have skills in common.

And these include communication skills: writing letters to government and representatives, delivering speeches to people.

Planning, which is really important.

So being able to organise protests, marches, and petitions to make sure everything happens as it should be.

And teamwork: joining forces with other organisations and charities with a similar purpose.

And of course, confidence and resilience.

So finding the courage to stand up for their communities and beliefs.

And resilience is important too, 'cause sometimes change takes time.

Let's have a check for understanding.

Which of the following set of actions best demonstrates active citizenship skills? So is it A, volunteering at a food bank, organising a community cleanup, writing to a councillor about more street lighting? Or is it B, watching the news, reading about historical events, having opinions on social issues? Or is it C, travelling internationally, learning new languages, exploring different foods? And it was A, 'cause you'll see there that the person, that individual, is really, really being an active citizen and getting involved in the issues that matter to them.

For task C, I would like you to create a mind map of the skills needed to be an active citizen.

So what you might write is "skills needed to be an active citizen" in the middle, and then you can have all of the different skills branching off from that, and there's lots of chance to expand your answers as well.

So really think about this and be creative with this so you can really, really delve into all of those fantastic skills that you'll develop through active citizenship.

So when creating your mind map, you might have included some of these skills: communication, teamwork, critical thinking, decision making, resilience, evaluating, research, planning, and persuasion.

The second part of task C, I would like you to choose an issue that you think is important in your local community, so something that you think is important.

I would like you to design a slogan or image to be displayed on a poster to raise awareness of your chosen issue.

So Jun is saying, "Now it is your turn to be an active citizen." So when you are designing a slogan or image to be displayed on a poster to raise awareness of your chosen issue, your answer might have looked something like this: The issue I'd like to tackle is littering in my local park.

It really spoils the area, and it can be dangerous.

My slogan is, "Trash belongs in the bin; keeping spaces clean is a win." My image is a picture of someone littering with a line through to suggest that it is not allowed, as you can see in front of you.

So, in summary of: How we can be active citizens? An active citizen is someone who cares about their community enough to change it.

They take an active role in order to bring about positive change.

There are lots of different methods that active citizens can use to bring about social change.

For example, petitioning, protesting, boycotting, and lobbying.

To create change, active citizens need to develop lots of different skills, such as effective communication, critical thinking, decision-making, and analysis and research skills.

That brings us to the end of the lesson.

Well done for working hard, and I hope that you'll come back for more citizenship lessons in the future.