When a person has citizenship of a particular country they have certain rights in that country. For example, a citizen of a caribbean country has the right to vote, get a passport and run for public office.

Citizenship is about taking an active part in society. It is about how we live together in our communities and about how we ‘get on' locally, nationally and globally. It is about ensuring that everyone has the knowledge and skills to understand, engage with and challenge the main pillars of our democratic society - politics, the economy and the law.

Citizenship is therefore about being a member of a community, and making a good contribution to that community. We are all members of many different communities: our family; our school; our local area; our village, town or city; our country; our world. It is important to understand and act in a responsibile way in each of these communities.

Why is citizenship important?

The values of democracy, justice, equality and inclusion have been long fought for but are easily neglected and abused. This is especially true when faith in politics is low and economic times are tough.

The best way to guard these values is to develop well-informed, educated citizens with the confidence and appetite to take part in society; to question injustice and to drive change.

The best way to guarantee a brighter future for all is to create a society in which we all understand our rights and responsibilities and in which everyone is equipped, and ready, to play an active part.

Developing citizenship means becoming a productive, responsible, caring and contributing member of society. It includes:

• being successful in school;
• making responsible decisions;
• caring about others;
• contributing to society;
• developing social and personal skills, such as reflective problem solving, accepting a variety of perspectives, and setting and attaining goals; and
• developing a core set of common values.

The defining characteristics of citizen competency and responsibility include:

• Civic and Political Knowledge: Information about our history and government; basic understanding of democracy and democratic principles; information and resources for electoral participation; and the understanding of institutions and important current events.
• Civic and Political Skills: Skills necessary to participate in civic and political life including speaking and writing, critical thinking, an ability to listen to other perspectives, a sense of social capital and a comfort with the give-and-take process of consensus-building in a democracy.
• Civic Attitudes: Respect for diverse viewpoints; belief in the importance of participation in political processes and civic life; understanding of the common good; sense of social and civic efficacy; appreciation of participation in public and civic life; an interest in politics with an intention to vote; and an openness to political persuasion.
• Political Participation: Engagement in traditionally political activities such as voting, attending public meetings, education and advocacy on public issues and voicing opinions through letters to elected officials or the media.
• Community Participation: Active participation in voluntary organizations such as church, neighborhood associations, youth groups, etc.
• Civic Commitments: A sense of personal responsibility in society; a willingness to participate in mutual endeavors and to address common needs; and a commitment to making change to promote or maintain equity and fairness.

The Caribbean should be seen as that part of the world where the population enjoys a good quality of life with the basic needs of food, clothing, shelter, health care and employment being all virtually satisfied. The environment should be one which provides clean air and water, unpolluted seas and healthy communities - an environment that has not been destroyed by the development process.

The Ideal Caribbean Person should be someone who among other things :

• is imbued with a respect for human life since it is the foundation on which all the other desired values must rest;
  
• is emotionally secure with a high level of self confidence and self esteem;
  sees ethnic, religious and other diversity as a source of potential strength and richness;
  
• is aware of the importance of living in harmony with the environment;
  
• has a strong appreciation of family and kinship values, community cohesion, and moral issues including responsibility for and accountability to self and community;
  
• has an informed respect for the cultural heritage;
  
• demonstrates multiple literacies independent and critical thinking, questions the beliefs and practices of past and present and brings this to bear on the innovative application of science and technology to problems solving;
  
• demonstrates a positive work ethic;
  
• values and displays the creative imagination in its various manifestations and nurture its development in the economic and entrepreneurial spheres in all other areas of life;
  
• has developed the capacity to create and take advantage of opportunities to control, improve, maintain and promote physical, mental, social and spiritual well being and to contribute to the health and welfare of the community and country;
  
• nourishes in him/herself and in others, the fullest development of each person's potential without gender stereotyping and embraces differences and similarities between females and males as a source of mutual strength.

In a democratic society, individuals and groups are free to decide their own actions. These decisions to act may either help or hurt the communities in which they live. An important part of being a citizen in any community is understanding that you have rights and responsibilities. These are often supported by "rules" about the way people should behave.

Rights - things that we are entitled to (this is how people should be treated), for example we have a right to our nationality.

Responsibilities - things we have a duty to do (this is how we should treat others), for example we have a responsibility to protect the world's environment.

Rules - most communities have rules about the way people should behave. Rules affecting families may be formal, for example the law about attending school. At other times they can be informal, for example your family may have its own rules about who tidies up different parts of the house.

Political Rights and Responsibilities of a Citizen

It is generally understood that citizens have certain rights such as:

• the right to vote in elections;
  
• the right to join a political party;
  
• the right to take part in public meetings;
  
• the right to voice a political opinion;
  
• the right to join a union;
  
• the right to join an action group;
  
• freedom of speech;
  
• freedom of the press, and
  
• freedom of religion.

Responsibilities of a Citizen

Here are some examples:

• enrol on the electoral register;
  
• vote carefully and sensibly;
  
• keep well-informed;
  
• obey the laws of the land;
  
• serve on a jury, if asked;
  
• pay taxes;
  
• defend the country if necessary, and
  
• be active in community life.