I don’t believe in citizenship for me because I’m not a part of society. I’m on the fringe of it, not beacuse I like it, but because of what that society does with me: they say I’m lazy, stupid, … but i just want to live a good life. For me citizenship is bourgois and for the powerfull. We are just fringedwellers as there always were and always will be. Europe will not change that.

Good citizenship is something I see as a personal duty towards the society I live in. During my holidays I work in a hospital with sick children. I want to study medicines and become a doctor. After my studies I would like to go abroad to work in field hospitals. I admire the work of the international humanitarian organisation Doctors without Borders.
By helping others, I think I can contribute to a better world.

In my view, responsibility had nothing to do with big words or serious congresses with a lot of small talk. Responsibility is more a thing of just doing. I try to take up responsibility by caring for the planet I live on. Maybe nobody can see my efforts, but I’m convinced that if everybody does the same small things I do, the world would be better. When I do the shopping, I choose biological and Fair Trade products. These products make a better living for the people in the third world. I stopped eating meat two years ago. My mum was furious and she stopped talking for a week. But I never regretted my decision. Meat eaters are cold- blooded murderers. I don’t want to be a murderer.

I don’t care much about responsibilities. I think live is too short to think so seriously.
Maybe later, I will do the things that are considered to be ‘responsible’, but these days I just enjoy live. Although one thing I will never do is drink and drive. I don’t want to be just another name in the weekend- accidents or be responsible for anyone’s name in the list.

Citizenship? Uit ons groepsgesprek kwam vooral dat we daar niet echt van wakker liggen. Wij zijn Belgen en voelen ons zo: we spreken de taal, gaan naar school, amuseren ons … Wat wordt er nog verwacht? Het zal wel loslopen zeker? We zien wel

Your right Trix. Society can be very cruel for some people, special for minorities. In fact same times society does not respect the right of being different. Citizenship is also the act of standing up for your rights. And citizenship is what each of us you can do for society, as well.

Citizenship is also MEMBERSHIP IN A POLITICAL COMMUNITY. 2 days ago there were elections in Poland. About 54% people actively participated in the elections. As we can hear - it was one of the best ‘results’ since many years… but what about other 46% - do they know what and active citizenship is? What do you think?

I agree with the second comment. Citizenship starts at home, (caring about environment – energy saving, segregate rubbish for recycling) and seeing neighbours who need help. That is a first step.

To make citizenship attitudes more common some conditons must be fulfilled:
1) legal basis - the national low should encourage people to help others and not to punish them for it! (there was the case in Poland that a bakery owner has been sentenced because of giving bread to homeless people for free)
2) people - generally - have to earn more. If you have to run two or three jobs to earn for life (which is normal in our country) you don’t have time nor strenght for helping others or e.g. fighting for new local kondergarten. I’m not talking about individuals who always help others regardless of everything, I’m talking about attitudes present in all society.

PL:
Natalia, 15 lat
Slowo Obywatelstwo kojarzy mi się z Panstwem, Swiatem. Uczestniczac w wyborach w danym kraju mamy wplyw na to, kto bedzie nami rzadził i w ten sposob bierzemy aktywny udział w zyciu obywatelskim.
Biorac udzial w organizacji festynow na rzecz osob niepelnosprawnych i organizacji pozarzadowych oraz w akcji sprzatania miasta mamy korzysci: jest czysciej, ladniej i pomagamy innym poza tym ja się czuje lepiej poniewaz pomagam osobom, ktorym jest to potrzebne. To jest własnie aktywne zycie obywatelskie.

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EN:
The word ‘citizenship’ is for me ‘the state’, ‘the world’. To participate in elections in our country means that people have an influence on who will be in the Government representing us and making decisions for us. In this way we take things in our hands and participate actively in life of the society.
Also me and my colleagues participate in organizing festivals for disabled persons as well as different activities for NGOs organisations like ‘Clean your city’. We benefit from this: It is more clean, more pretty and we help other people apart from this I feel better helping persons who need my help. This exactly means to be active citizen.

Natalia from Poland (15 years old)

PL:
Slawek, 18 lat
Na temat obywatelstwa mam do powiedzenia tyle, ze obywatel danego panstwa powinien przestrzegac jego zasad i je rozbudowywac tak, zeby było w panstwie lepiej niz jest.

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EN:
I can only say that citizens have to observe the principles and to develop them to make situation in the country better than it is now.

Slawek, 18 years old

PL:
Patryk, 17 lat
Obywatel to czlowiek, ktory walczy o swoj kraj. Mlodziez ma mniej władzy od dorosłych. Dorosli maja prawo do głosowania i do pracy. Dzieci maja prawo do uczenia sie.

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EN:
Active citizen is a person who is fighting for his country. Young people have less power than adults. Adult people have right to vote or work. Children have right to learn.

Patryk (17 years old)

PL:
Dominik, 15 lat
Aktywne obywatelstwo to chodzenie na glosowanie, zeby wybrac własciwą wladze. Poza tym obywatel ma prawo m.in. do pracy czy do założenia rodziny.

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EN:
Active citizenship means to participate in elections to choose right authorities. Besides citizen Has right for example to work or having a family.
Dominik (15 years old)

PL:
Iza, 25 lat
Obywatelstwo to pojecie trudne do zdefiniowania. Obywatel to osoba, ktora ma swoje prawa, ale tez i obowiazki - prawo do pracy, nauki, zakladania rodziny… Obowiazkiem obywatela jest dbanie o dobro panstwa i respektowanie zasad, praw przez panstwo ustanowionych.

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EN:
Citizenship is difficult to define. Citizen is a person who has his own rights but also his duties - i.e. rights for work, for education, for having family… His duty is to take care of good name of the country he lives in as well as to observe established principles and rights.
Iza (25 years old)

PL:
Tomek, 19 lat
Obywatelstwo to dla mnie cos, czym trzeba się szczycic w innych krajach, ale nie w Polsce!

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EN:
Citizenship for me is something people from other countries should be proud of, but not in Poland!
Tomek (19 years old)

PL:
Ania, 16 lat
Slowo obywatelstwo lub obywatel kojarzy mi się z prawem do nauki, pracy, działaniem na rzecz innych. Dorosli maja prawo do glosowania oraz zalozenia rodziny. Obywatel powinien być wierny panstwu. Obywatel powinien pomagac ludziom biednym lub bardzo potrzebujacym pomocy, na przyklad poprzez organizowanie roznych festynow, Wigilii dla bezdomnych itd.

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EN:
Citizenship or citizen means to me that you have right to learn, work or act for other people. Adult people have establish the family. Every citizen should be faithful to the state. The citizen should help poor people or these who need any help, for example through organising or participating in various festivals, garden parties, Christmass Eve for homeless people etc.
Ania (16 years old)

PL:
Łukasz, 18 lat
Obywatelstwo to przywiazanie do ojczyzny, zycie w jednej grupie. Obywatel ma prawo do uczenia się w szkole publicznej, mozliwosc leczenia się w NFZ, mozliwosc pracowania, prawo do glosowania.

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EN:
Citizenship is attachment for his/her homeland, it is also his or her life in one group. Citizen has right to learn in a public school, access to health care, a chance to work or to vote.
Lukasz (18 years old)

PL:
Hania, 17 lat
- Obywatel ma prawo do szczesliwego zycia w swoim kraju
- Obywatel posiada prawa do decydowania o losach swojego kraju
- Czuje się obywatelem, gdyz mogę korzystac ze wszystkich praw które posiadamy np. uczeszczanie do szkoły publicznej, leczenie się w przychodniach miejskich, poczucie bezpieczeństwa na ulicy…

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EN:
- Citizen have a right to live happily in his own country.
- Citizen have a right to decide on the future of his own country.
- I consider myself to be a citizen because I enjoy all rights we have, e.g. to learn in public school, to use the health service, to feel safe on the street…
Hania (17 years old)

PL:
Jacek, 17 lat
Obywatelstwo to dla mnie np. pomaganie innym w potrzebie czy aktywny udział w wyborach poprzez głosowanie.

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EN:
Citizenship means for me for example helping others when they need it or taking part in the elections.
Jacek (17 years old)

PL:
Magda, 17 lat
Obywatelstwo to:
- odpowiedzialność za swoje czyny;
- życie w społeczeństwie;
- angażowanie się w życie grupy, w której żyję;
- przywiązanie do swojej ojczyzny;
- głosowanie na wyborach;
- prawo do wolności wyznaniowej i wolności słowa;

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EN:

Citizenship means:
- being responsible for my own actions,
- living in society,
- engaging in life of the group that I’m the member,
- feeling attachment to my homeland,
- taking part in elections,
- having right to feel free with my creed, and freedom of speech .
Magda (17 years old)

PL:
Karolina 16 lat
Obywatelstwo, moim zdaniem, jest to więź prawna łącząca ludzi z państwem, na mocy której człowiek ma określone prawa i obowiązki wobec państwa, tak samo jak państwo ma obowiązki i prawa wobec nas. Uważam, że jestem dobrą obywatelką mojego kraju, ponieważ mam różne obowiązki wobec mego państwa, które staram się spełniać. Mam też prawa.
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EN:

Citizenship is – in my opinion – a legal relationship between people and the state, according to which a citizen has the determinate rights and obligations towards the state as well as the state has the determinate rights and obligations towards the citizens. I consider myself to be a good citizen because I always try to perform my obligations and I have rights as well.
Karolina (16 years old)

PL:
Ona, 17 lat
Obywatelstwo jest dla mnie pewnego rodzaju przynależnością do danego państwa. Wiąże się ono z różnymi prawami i obowiązkami np. udział w głosowaniach, wybór głowy państwa czy parlamentu oraz z przestrzeganiem prawa obowiązującego w danym państwie.

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EN:
For me citizenship is a kind of affiliation to the country. It is related to different rights and obligations, as taking part in the elections – voting somebody for president or parliament member – and observance of the country law.
Girl (17 years old)

Sylvie, Gaëlle, Marie, Radouan, Marie-Carmen, Adelaïde, Sofia … talk about citizenship

TO BE A CITIZEN IS …
To be helpful in solidarity
Our class decided to support “Le Secours Populaire”, charitable organization helping the more destitute people. We have contributed to a charity sale and in a funding campaign. We are happy to express our solidarity with the volunteers: we feel admiration for their action and involvement.
To respect the own town, the fellow-citizens …..
To have rights and duties
To be integrated to the wide social group and take part in the activities of my country, with the same rights and duties for all people.

EQUALITY IS…
Live together without discrimination, i.e. ignoring skin colours, origins, social class….
For all the people, to have the same rights, to education, wealth, family, work, social benefits…

POLITENESS IS…
To respect the others, and essentially to be polite between us, because we are all equal.
We have to help the others, be helpful with the more weak people …

CIVIC SPIRIT IS…
Community involvement, respect of the law ….