citizenship revision - Theme D (1)

• Opportunities for citizen participation (3)

• Politics - voting campaigning on issues

• Local community - volunteering for local charities

• Wider community - involvement in charity/ justice/equality

Barriers for citizen participation (3)

• Busy lives - e.g working long hours / childcare

• Lack of interest/ awareness - not knowing how to exercise power

• Worrying about impact on lives

Direct action

When people try and achieve goals themselves

Indirect action

When people try and influence politicians to act for them

Examples of direct action

• Join or start a campaign/march/demonstration/ protest

• Boycott a company due to their ethics/ a country due to their politics

Examples of indirect action (5)

• Join a political party

• Vote in elections

• Lobby a politician

• Join a pressure group

• Start an online petition → to be seen in parliament

Why do people get involved? (4)

• Environmental concerns

• Influence from parents or from cultural background

• Personal ambition

• Desire to improve community

Why don’t people get involved? (5)

• Practical obstacles (e.g no car)

• Not interested

• Don’t understand

• Think candidates are all the same

• Feel their vote wont make a difference

How to improve voter engagement? (6)

• Make voting compulsory

• Increase face - face meetings with candidates

• Improve citizenship education

• Change first - past - the - post systems

• Allow voting across the weekend (longer voting period)

• Make voting more convenient ( e.g at work)

Positives to parties using social media to send messages (3)

Campaigning reaches more people

Interactive - everyone can respond

Free to use

Negatives to parties using social media to send messages (5)

• Mass content people have to sift through

• If lots of people voted their could be a crash

• Hard to get target material due to so many users

• Fake news

• Social media can be hacked

Features of democratic society (5)

• Fair and free elections

• Government checks

• Citizenship inclusion

• Citizenship support

• Freedom of expression

North Korea (non democratic country) features- (7)

• No genuine elections and rule of law

• Taking over from parent

• Only one political party allowed

• Military is central to politics

• Dictatorship

• No free media

• Criticism of state can lead to imprisonment

Norway (democratic country) features: (6)

Most adult citizens can vote

• Media are free to express views

• Freedom of expression valued

• Participation in voting is encouraged

• Wide range of political parties

• Elections are free and fair

• Anyone can join a party

Examples of public institutions (5)

Schools

Libraries

Hospitals

Universities

Courts

Examples of public services (3)

• Police

• Fire

• Ambulance

Aim of public institutions vs charity and volunteer groups

Public institutions - support people in everyday life

Charity and volunteer groups - to raise a awareness and funds for a cause

How are public institutions funded and staffed vs charity and volunteer groups

Public institutions -

Funded from tax

Staffed by paid workers

Charity and volunteer groups -

Funded privately

Staffed by volunteers