Effective Citizenship

Kayley Reed November 2011 RCLP 1010 Dr. Taylor Gray

Being concerned, aware, informed, and involved are four basic pillars that I believe define effective citizenship. I see each of these pillars as stepping-stones to the next, although there are exceptions. I also believe that there are different levels of effective citizenship relating to different levels of community. For example, effective citizenship can apply to a high school or university community, the community of a town or city, or even the global community. Being concerned means having interest in and being compassionate towards matters in ones community. Being an aware citizen means to be conscious and open-minded about the issues one is concerned about. This pillar can be considered a questioning stage that develops an individuals mindfulness on community matters. Being informed is a step up from being aware. Not only does an informed citizen realize the issue(s), but he or she has researched, discussed, or seen first hand the issue and impact. For example, in a political election an informed citizen would already have concern for the election, be aware of the parties, candidates, and platforms, and have knowledge on what each party stands for, and what each candidates platform is. In this example, the action of voting is what would define an effective citizen. Involvement is the final, and most important pillar. Being involved means combining compassion, awareness and knowledge to take action. This is critical for communitys at any level to develop and thrive. Although it is the last pillar, involvement can often go hand-in-hand with other pillars rather than being the final step. For example, I am personally interested in political matters in New Brunswick and am in contact with MLA Brian MacDonald. I have attended meetings and have planned a day at the legislature with him to learn more about current affairs. In this case, I started with being concerned and aware, and am now becoming involved in order to inform myself further, all in pursuit of being an effective citizen. Effective citizenship is important to the concept of leadership because it works on self-development, while also developing ones community. The pillars are built from the foundation of self-motivation, and to develop oneself is to develop ones leadership ability (S. Fox, United Way, personal communication, November 9, 2011). Action cannot take place without interest first being generated, and motivation for this interest must come from the self. Fox also relates this back to leadership development and states, You are your only consistent motivation.