Responsible Citizenship (Grade 12 NSC Matric Life Orientation): Revision Notes
Responsible Citizenship
Being a responsible citizen means much more than just following rules. It's about actively participating in your community and standing up for what's right. In South Africa, responsible citizenship involves understanding your rights, respecting others, and working to make your society better for everyone.
What does responsible citizenship mean?
A responsible citizen is someone who does their duty, fulfils their responsibilities, and does what is right and expected in society. This means you don't just think about yourself - you consider how your actions affect others and your community.
Key Definition: Responsible citizenship means that you do your duty as a citizen, you fulfil your responsibilities, and do what is right or expected of you as a citizen.
As a responsible citizen, you should:
- Show awareness and respect for human rights - Understanding that everyone deserves to be treated fairly and with dignity
- Care about others' wellbeing - Looking out for your neighbours, classmates, and community members
- Take part in activities that fight against human rights violations - This could include campaigns, projects, or events that promote fairness and justice
- Follow the law - Respecting rules and regulations that keep society functioning
- Participate in civic and political activities - Having your voice heard through voting and community involvement
- Vote in elections - Using your democratic right to choose leaders
- Pay your taxes - Contributing to public services and infrastructure
Understanding the Bill of Rights
The Bill of Rights forms the foundation of democracy in South Africa. It protects the rights of all people in our country and promotes the values of human dignity, equality, and freedom.
About the Bill of Rights: The Bill of Rights is a cornerstone of democracy in South Africa. It enshrines the rights of all people in our country and affirms the democratic values of human dignity, equality and freedom.
The Bill of Rights guarantees basic human rights that everyone should enjoy, regardless of whether they are South African citizens or not. These rights include:
- Being treated equally and with dignity
- Having your own opinions and following any religion you choose
- Expressing your ideas and views freely (as long as you don't violate others' rights)
- Living and working in a healthy environment
- Being treated fairly at work
- Speaking any language you choose
- Having access to basic healthcare
Understanding these rights helps you recognise when discrimination or human rights violations occur.
Recognising discrimination and human rights violations
Discrimination happens when you treat people unfairly or unequally because they are different from you (or you think they are different). Examples include calling people insulting names because of their race, age, religion, or physical or mental abilities. Discrimination violates human rights.
Human rights violations occur when someone's rights are hurt, disrespected, or acted against. This could include calling someone names (violating their dignity), harming someone physically (violating their right to life), or sharing someone's private information without permission (violating their privacy).
Remember the Key Definitions:
- Discrimination: If you discriminate against others, you treat them unjustly, unfairly, and unequally because they are, or you think they are, different from you.
- Human rights violations: Human rights violations mean hurting, disrespecting or acting against someone's rights.
Ways to participate in human rights promotion
There are four main ways you can actively participate in promoting human rights and fighting discrimination: discussions, projects, campaigns, and events.
Discussions
Discussions are conversations where people share information, ideas, experiences, and opinions. These can be formal or informal and include:
- Online discussions and forums - Sharing opinions on websites where others can respond and comment
- Social media platforms - Using Twitter, Facebook, and other platforms to raise awareness
- Radio programmes - Participating in shows with experts or calling in with questions
- Talks and workshops - Attending educational events in your community
- Organisational meetings - Joining discussions with groups like the Human Rights Commission
Projects
Projects that help people whose human rights have been violated often run for long periods, sometimes years. They may be organised by non-governmental organisations (NGOs), universities, or faith-based groups. These projects always need volunteers to help them succeed.
Worked Example: Orange Farm Human Rights Advice Centre
The Foundation for Human Rights took over this project from the Catholic Church in 1996. Located south of Johannesburg, Orange Farm is one of South Africa's largest informal settlements with about a million residents.
What they do:
- Help with evictions, domestic violence, child abuse, and disability issues
- Assist refugees and asylum seekers
- Help people obtain birth certificates and identity documents
Impact: This project has brought hope to the poverty-stricken Orange Farm community.
Worked Example: Youth Rights Project
Run by the Human Rights Institute of South Africa (HURISA), this project organises human rights training workshops for young representatives.
Aims:
- Build values and develop responsibility
- Increase understanding of rights that create opportunities for youth
- Train young participants to share knowledge with their communities
- Encourage youth to start their own human rights projects
Campaigns
A campaign is a series of planned actions intended to create change. Campaigns can support or oppose something - for example, a campaign for more clinics in rural areas or an anti-drug abuse campaign.
Worked Example: Peermont School Support Programme (PSSP)
Started a human rights campaign in high schools in the Ekurhuleni and Sedibeng areas.
Activities include:
- Conversations about human rights, the Bill of Rights, and the Constitution
- Field trips to places like the Johannesburg Holocaust and Genocide Centre
- School workshops with guest speakers
- Poster campaigns
- Annual Human Rights Public Speaking Competition (finals at Constitutional Court)
Special feature: PSSP introduced a Bill of Responsibilities showing what responsibilities go with the rights in the Bill of Rights.
Worked Example: Demand Dignity Campaign
By Amnesty International, this campaign focuses on human rights violations where poor people are ignored and excluded from decisions.
Case study: In Nigeria's Niger Delta region, the oil industry hasn't cleaned up oil spills and pollution years after they occurred, leaving poor people exposed to violations of their economic, social, and cultural rights.
Events
Events are planned occasions or activities that may be part of larger human rights campaigns or projects. They can commemorate anniversaries (like Sharpeville) or mark special days such as Human Rights Day and Women's Day. Examples include marches, parades, festivals, prayer services, memorial ceremonies, celebrations, talks, conferences, and concerts by famous people.
Worked Example: Youth Celebrations
Take place throughout South Africa from Youth Day to Youth Month, organised by groups like the Foundation for Human Rights and the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA).
Purpose: Celebrate being young while teaching about taking responsibility for your future.
What they offer:
- Discussions about challenges young people face
- Information about entrepreneurship training and micro-loans
- Technical training and mentorship programmes
- Community volunteer work opportunities
- Showcasing talents through performances and exhibitions
Evaluating campaign and event outcomes
To determine whether a campaign or event was successful, you need to apply evaluation criteria. This systematic approach helps you measure impact and identify areas for improvement.
Evaluation Process:
- Identify the aims of the campaign or event - What was it trying to achieve?
- Assess whether these aims were achieved - You can do this by observing, asking questions, conducting research, and comparing the situation before the campaign to the situation after
The case study of Amnesty International's "Stop Violence Against Women" campaign shows how evaluation works. This campaign aimed to stop violence against women by pushing for better law implementation, calling for new protective laws, demanding an end to discriminatory laws, urging states to end violence, and working to empower women.
Study Tips for Exams:
- Learn the definition of responsible citizenship - Focus on the key idea of doing your duty and fulfilling responsibilities
- Memorise examples of citizen responsibilities - voting, paying taxes, obeying laws, caring for others
- Understand the Bill of Rights' importance - It's the cornerstone of South African democracy
- Be able to identify discrimination - treating people unfairly because they're different
- Know the four types of participation - discussions, projects, campaigns, events
- Remember South African examples - Orange Farm, PSSP, Youth Day celebrations
- Practise evaluation skills - always ask "what were the aims?" and "were they achieved?"
Key Points to Remember:
- Responsible citizenship means actively participating in your community and standing up for human rights, not just following rules
- The Bill of Rights protects everyone in South Africa and forms the foundation of our democracy
- You can fight discrimination and human rights violations through discussions, projects, campaigns, and events
- South African organisations like the Foundation for Human Rights and HURISA provide real examples of human rights promotion
- Always evaluate campaigns and events by identifying their aims and assessing whether those aims were achieved