What does it mean to be an active and responsible citizen?

BY KAHA G.

The question of “What does it mean to be an active and responsible citizen,” is something that my Civics teacher asked us to write about. We’ve been learning about the Charter of Rights and Freedom, as well as our responsibilities to abide by it as citizens. So, this question helps our teacher find out who was listening, and ultimately who is a danger to society. Here is my response.

In my opinion, being an active and responsible citizen means doing the right thing to better our community.  Usually, we believe we should “do the bare minimum,” and not contribute anything. However, there are plenty of things that we can do yearly, to better not only our surroundings but our morale as well. Such as helping the community (donating, charity work, being kind to everyone, helping the environment), obeying the law, taking care of family, and voting in elections.

Helping the community should be something we often do if we have the means to, because it shows that you have concern for the state of your community and are extremely charitable. If you give back to the community, it will give back to you. In addition, obeying the law is not negotiable, and it is obligatory because if you want rights you need to make sure you don’t violate the rights of others.

According to canada.ca, “Getting a job, taking care of one’s family and working hard in keeping with one’s abilities are important Canadian values. Work contributes to personal dignity/self-respect, and Canada’s prosperity.”

Lastly, voting in elections is essential, because as we all know the people who run for elections, to put it simply, are not always good people. This leads to people thinking “If everyone running for elections is corrupt, then why should I vote in the first place?” Well, the answer to that is if you don’t vote in elections, it’s very likely the worst of the bunch will win (Justin Trudeau). Essentially, this is why the youth who are now legally eligible to vote are important so that we can at least get someone better.

In conclusion, being an active and responsible citizen means that you partake in activities that will improve your community and your inner self.