Please check out the all of the information and resources at the website http://bhscitizens.weebly.com/ and register for this challenge!
Who are we?
We are students in Mrs. Janovitz’s 2017 Senior AP Literature and Composition class. We have spent much of this year reading and analyzing literature and nonfiction texts that address various social and political issues. That work led us here. Our discussions of these texts made us realize that civic engagement is essential. So, here at Burlington High School in Massachusetts, we are working to promote responsible citizenship throughout the community. We have made a 30 day challenge in order to get the students, teachers, community, and YOU involved. Please join us in our effort to promote responsible citizenship and better our community and our country!
What is a responsible citizen?
While ideas about responsible citizenship may vary, our team has developed the following definition:
Being a responsible citizen in 21st century America requires individuals to uphold and promote core democratic values by seeking knowledge and understanding, communicating openly and honestly, serving the common good, engaging in civic action, and expressing both loyalty to America and respect for other cultures.
What’s the challenge?
The 30-Day Responsible Citizenship Challenge offers concrete actions you can take to engage in responsible citizenship. The actions range in intensity and vary in terms of the values they promote, but they are all relevant and accessible. In creating and participating in this 30-Day Responsible Citizenship Challenge, we hope to help others promote the democratic values of equality, justice, diversity, liberty, community, and popular sovereignty. Check out the specific actions on our calendar.
Citizen Squad!!!
Sidra
I believe that positive change is like the ripples on an ocean’s surface. At first it is timid and polite, but after a while these ripples turn into tsunamis and hurricanes of positive change, sweeping prejudices and negative actions away from communities and replacing them a fresh clean start and positive mindset.
Ama
America became strong through its acceptance of diversity of voices and perspectives. We are built on hard work, determination, and perseverance for change and the future. As a citizen of America who truly cares about our country, I believe that civic action and responsible citizenship will steer us into improvement and create a strong future for everyone.
Rachel
In a perfect world, America would be fair, safe, and full of love; however, perfect worlds do not exist. But if responsible citizens who value loyalty and moral goodness work as a unit to promote kindness and conscientiousness, the country as a whole can become a more welcoming and accepting place. America will be a place where all are allowed to express their rights and be free, just as our founding fathers had intended.
Stephanie
I am a woman of the future. I am an active citizen and I will participate in community actions to stand up as a responsible and powerful woman. My dream for our future is to ensure every citizen experiences equality, happiness, and peace. We all matter. We are all the future, so together we must act as one and make the changes we believe are necessary.
Alex
Though for us, high school students in Burlington, it may not seem possible to make nationwide changes, we may be able to spread the idea of responsible citizenship and become a stronger community. As a result, we could inspire other communities around us to strive for the same goals. We can make a change. It starts with us. If we care enough and work hard enough, we can make a difference.
Gabby
I will personally fulfill all of these tasks to become a responsible citizen, but I am not enough alone. This effort needs to be something that we do together. We must wake up everyday and do what we need to do to make our country what we want it to be. I truly am proud to be an American, and I hope that we, as citizens of the United States, can be proud together.
Megan
If Americans can come together to overcome our differences and engage in responsible citizenship, we can create a safe, positive, and progressive culture that is sustainable. We can make effective change.
Laura
As citizens, we must make the changes we want to see. We need to vote; we need to accept one another; we need to resist. It is time to take responsibility as citizens of the United States. Political awareness, empathy, strength, and determination are crucial qualities that will aid us in our work as responsible citizens.
Erin
I think we can make a significant difference for the future of America by creating a more accepting environment. People do not have to agree with each other. They can, however, disagree responsibly — in ways that will not cause harm or destruction. If we teach people more effective and respectful ways to communicate and disagree, many of the problems we are facing in the country today could end. We all have the same goal: to become our best selves.
Dalena
My dreams for this country consist of living in a society where gender equality is assumed, in a nation where social activists have less to fight for, in a place that values education over economic standing. While a single individual accomplishing these ideals takes an immense amount of work and involves a lot of pressure, there is hope and strength in numbers. We should begin this work within our own community, together.
Aashay
Citizenship isn’t about looking out for yourself, it's about realizing that we’re all in this together whether you like it or not. Social and political change rarely come from government. Change comes from the people. That's the beauty of democracy. The power is in us, we just have to use it. We’ve all received, so we all have the obligation to give back. The power of the individual is limited only by that individual.
Meghan
Forming ideas to better engage in responsible citizenship is a big part of the promotion of democratic values in the United States. In addition to collaborating with others, individuals may take personal action to better the community. Regardless of whether my personal actions are impactful in the large scheme of the country’s progress, my duty to demonstrate responsibility as a citizen living in the United States is important to me and to my efforts to uphold my own values.
Ronika
A dream that I have for this country is that instead of being against one another, we, as a country, start to work together. I think Americans as a whole can make a difference together rather than apart. Because our country is so diverse, communicating with others and understanding others’ beliefs strengthens our sense of community.
Shivani
As a society, we have made huge strides to get to where we are, but to meet our modern societal goals, we have to make changes in our individual communities. We need to incorporate the idea of being a responsible citizen into our daily lives and start taking action on issues that need to be addressed.
Christina
Being a responsible citizen means being accepting of other people — accepting who they are and their outlook on life. It means being brave and kind and open to change and other perspectives besides your own. My dream for this country is that one day everyone will see others as they see themselves, as humans.
Sarah
I hope that Americans can come together and support our democratic ideas. I want everyone to be equal, safe, happy, and healthy. Accepting other cultures and religions doesn’t mean that we lose our own culture.
Melanie
My dream for the future is filled with equality, happiness, and opportunity. Everyone should be heard, should feel that their voice matters and is powerful. Constantly beating down “opponents” enables failure and a lack of community. If everyone respected, listened to, and valued each other, our society would be much more productive. If we worked together and encouraged each other to reach our full potential, what this society could accomplish is limitless.
Anna
I think that to improve America, we have to talk more and make a greater effort to keep an open mind. Along with honest communication, I’d like to see more kindness — not just to people, but to nature and animals as well. The more kindness we have the more it will spread.
Luciana
Our country is named the United States of America for a reason. We as citizens must stay united through acceptance and respect. Diversity makes the United States great, and a responsible citizen in today’s America needs to be open-minded and actively try to understand the views and values of others. You may not agree with them, but it is imperative to disagree respectfully and learn about others' ideas. In this way, even one person can play a role in making America a stronger, more unified country.
Erica
I am very proud to be an American, but there is still work to be done. I believe that the first step is to be kind to everyone. Whether it be helping out a person in need, extending yourself to someone that you do not usually interact with, or performing random acts of kindness, we can build a society characterized by kindness, ultimately leading to a country characterized by acceptance of all.
Will
We must be understanding, respectful, and empathetic of others, and we must set aside our differences to take advantage of the one similarity we all possess as Americans: the power of being a citizen.
Tiffany
I wish to be actively involved in history, a living history that will affect every person out there in our great land, people who will remember our past -- its glories, triumphs, and yes, its failures. To do this is our responsibility to future generations, to make our nation a more thoughtful nation and our people more thoughtful people.
Mrs. Janovitz
I believe that responsible citizens are change agents; they are people who work to make a difference in the world around them. The students in this action team are agents of change who have accepted their role as citizens and are working towards fulfilling the responsibilities that go along with that role. I am exceptionally proud of their efforts to promote responsible citizenship here at BHS and to inform positive change in the world.
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