Active Citizenship
Active citizens take part in their communities by voting, volunteering, campaigning and helping others.
▶ Interact
Play with the controls to see the idea in action.
📘 Learn
Active citizens take part in their communities by voting, volunteering, campaigning and helping others.
- Join school councils
- Volunteer locally
- Write to your representative
🧠 Quick quiz
Three questions. Score 2 or more to complete the topic.
What is Active Citizenship?
Within Economics & Civics, which covers money, markets, business, government, law and citizenship: how societies are organised and run, this topic explains Active Citizenship. Economics and civics topics explain how money, markets, laws and government affect people, so each topic here pairs a clear definition with a model.
Check that you can explain Active Citizenship in your own words and give one example from everyday life. If you can do that, you have understood the core idea.
Understanding Active Citizenship helps you read the news critically and weigh up policies, choices and arguments about society.
Active Citizenship in detail
Active citizenship means taking part in your community and society to make improvements. This may be through voting, volunteering, joining a campaign or group, raising money for charity, standing for election, signing petitions, contacting representatives or taking part in a school council.
It builds skills, such as leadership, teamwork and communication, strengthens communities and democracy, and gives people a sense of purpose. Steps include identifying an issue, researching it, planning action, working with others and reviewing the results. Small actions can make a real difference. Young people can use their voice through youth councils and online campaigns.
How the interactive helps you understand Active Citizenship
Click a card to flip it and reveal the answer, then move on to the next one.
Before you change anything, predict the result. Then change one value at a time and check whether your prediction was right. This is a quick way to build a correct mental model of Active Citizenship.
Real-life uses and examples
- Use Active Citizenship to weigh up the pros and costs of a policy or decision.
- Explain Active Citizenship to a classmate using a choice you make yourself, such as spending pocket money.
- Give a balanced answer about Active Citizenship by considering more than one point of view.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Confusing a short-term effect with a long-term one.
- Giving an opinion without evidence or a clear economic or civic reason.
- Learning the definition without testing it. Use the quiz and the interactive to check that you can apply the idea.
Frequently asked questions about Active Citizenship
What is Active Citizenship?
Active citizens take part in their communities by voting, volunteering, campaigning and helping others.
What are the most important points about Active Citizenship?
The main points are: Join school councils; Volunteer locally; Write to your representative.
Why is Active Citizenship useful?
Understanding Active Citizenship helps you read the news critically and weigh up policies, choices and arguments about society.
How can I practise Active Citizenship?
Open the interactive at the top of this page and change the controls one at a time. Predict the result before each change, then take the three-question quiz. A score of two or more marks the topic as complete on this device.
Which topics are related to Active Citizenship?
Related topics in Economics & Civics include Discrimination and Prejudice, International Organisations, Global Issues.