Theme:
My Role as a Citizen of Earth
1. What it means to be a global citizen
Asking a child what it means to be a citizen of any kind might seem strange
because, I believe, many of the people my age don’t really feel like citizens yet.
We are old enough to learn, think and create but we aren’t always able to make
decisions. Being a citizen is, for me, all about making decisions.
Being a global citizen has many meanings, in my opinion; it is about our relationship
with the environment, our role as members of our community, our place in the
global community, as well.
As I grow older, I am able to realize, more and more, how important it is to protect
and respect the world we live in. Nature is our home and will hopefully continue to
be in the future. However, we seem to forget that our actions have consequences
and the consequences of the destruction we have caused to the environment are
beginning to come back to us. Very often, my friends and classmates discuss about
this and they usually say “It’s not our fault!” or “My actions alone won’t make a
difference...” but this is untrue!!! It is our fault in a way and we definitely can do
something about it! I feel it is our responsibility to realize that every single thing
matters! This is what being a global citizen means: that you understand how you
have to think of the results of your actions not only as far as you are concerned
but regarding others, as well. It is difficult, I know, to change the way we think
and even more difficult to change the way we do things, but this is the key! A
small change, if made by many, can have a huge difference!
Another part of being a global citizen has to do with our role as members both
of our community and the global community, too. Being Greek has always made me
proud, even if my country is going through difficulties at the moment. At the same
time, though, I feel it is a huge benefit to learn and appreciate other cultures and
peoples. This can be accomplished in several ways, such as through education and
travel. Knowledge helps us feel more connected to the world around us, as the
more we know about how others think, the better we can understand them and
open up to them. An education which makes this possible is the most valuable tool
in order to create a world community in which people can feel they really belong.
Personally, I have been lucky to have travelled to many countries from a very
young age and I have also been to summer camp abroad. This experience has given
me the opportunity to meet people from around the world and realize how much
we have in common. Even our differences brought us together since we learnt
new things from each other.
In my opinion, we must keep all this in mind and become more aware of the world
around us. Being a global citizen means being a team player, a giving and sensitive
person!
Deventzi Marianna
2. What makes a good citizen
Simply put being a citizen is being part of a group. You are born into a small group,
called a family. Your family is part of a neighborhood, your neighborhood part of
a city, your city part of a country and your country part of the world.
As a citizen, your personal choices effect everything, from, the people around
you to the whole planet. It’s like a domino game! But we rarely stop to think about
this. We pollute the environment, waste natural resources, wage wars against
each other and abuse animals for our own benefit. The biggest mistake we make
however, is to assume that the future is guaranteed. Unless we stop being
selfish and take responsibility for our actions, the future will be dark. We must
remember that we belong to a tribe called humanity where everyone has equal
rights but also equal responsibilities to care for our world today. So what can we
do to make a difference?
I believe that the first and most important thing to do is to protect the
environment, because without natural resources such as water, electricity and
food, we cannot exist! We must recycle, keep our neighborhood clean, use our
cars less and switch off the lights when we leave a room. We can also organize
campaigns to raise awareness about that the problems that the environment and
all the animals face today, in order to take action.
As a citizen it is my responsibility to be educated and to know what is going on
around the world. I must try hard at school so that I can become independent.
My role as a citizen is also to make sure that everyone is treated fairly and not
discriminated against for any reason. For example if I see someone being bullied
at school, it’s my responsibility to tell a teacher about it. Some people are weaker
than others and need to be looked out for by us. In the same way if we see
someone mistreating an animal it is our duty to help it. We could also take part
in campaigns by WWF or Greenpeace and adopt an endangered species. I have
adopted a Polar bear!
Part of living together is caring about one another. If I see a homeless person on
the street I should give them some clothes and food in order to help them. For
the same reason I must not act in a way that would put other people in danger.
Adults often drink and drive or talk on their mobile phones white driving and
cause accidents that sometimes injure people. It’s important to remember that
your choices can affect others so you must be responsible and careful.
In conclusion, my role as a citizen is the same as my role in my family. We must
respect each others rights and needs, discuss problems peacefully, help each
other and work together to keep our home clean. The world is life an enormous
family, were everyone has to share a home. You might not always agree with
everyone, but together we must find a way to co-exist in harmony and with love
for our environment.
Katerina Vekrelli