The Alberta Teachers’ Association

Winter 2009

Glyn Hughes

Becoming active and engaged takes effort.

In one of my classes at George McDougall High School, in Airdrie, I often say to students, “So, you think you live in a democracy.” Some students wonder aloud why I would say such a thing. Others look at me in disbelief. We then engage in a lively discussion about democracy in Canada. As the discussion unfolds, it becomes apparent that many students take their rights and responsibilities for granted and fail to realize that it is people like them and me that make a democracy work. It takes work.

Over the years, my students engaged in discussions, developed critical-thinking skills and performed well on diploma exams. But I don’t think that they, as a whole, were active and responsible citizens. Oh sure, I told them to vote, to participate in their community, to join interest groups, and to write letters to their MLAs and MPs—all the usual examples of citizenship that social studies teachers use in their classes.

But I always thought something was missing—I needed to challenge my students in more meaningful ways beyond the four corners of the classroom. A quotation attributed to Mark Twain advises us to “never let schooling get in the way of education.” Heeding those words, a group of students and I began the Students 4 Change (S4C) initiative in 2001.

The goal of S4C is to foster responsible, active and engaged citizens through partnerships with local not-for-profit groups, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and social justice initiatives. Each year, S4C provides the student body with opportunities to meet this goal. The opportunities for each student to become a personally responsible citizen, participatory citizen or social-justice-oriented citizen are endless. The overall objective is to make young people aware of the issues that affect their lives within and beyond the classroom.

We have developed long-standing relationships with Canadian Women for Women in Afghanistan, Amnesty International and Habitat for Humanity, as well as the Calgary Drop-In Centre and the City of Airdrie. We organize our school year around global awareness days, such as Make Poverty History, Human Rights Day, International Women’s Day and Anti-Racism Day. If students want to pursue a cause they are passionate about, then a committee is formed and a day is selected for taking action. Following are examples of students becoming actively involved and engaged.

Melissa Rodas-Reyes wanted to make our school a sweatshop-free zone. Although she and her committee did not succeed completely in their goal, they did raise students’ and staff’s awareness about an important issue. Furthermore, Rodas-Reyes found an opportunity as a citizen in a democracy to challenge people, make change happen, act responsibly and be actively engaged in the world around her. Last year, another S4C member contacted Rocky View School Division’s maintenance department about using biodegradable garbage bags. A number of our graduates who were S4C members have travelled to other parts of Canada and the world to make change happen.

As human rights activist and author Sally Armstrong says, these students are not bystanders; they are engaged and active citizens. Two students have cofounded their own NGOs, others have volunteered locally or globally, and many are card-carrying members of political parties.

Trevor Hirsche, a former S4C member and cofounder of the Bolivian-Canadian Clean Water Network, sums it up best:

To me everyone who is a part of the mainstream economy is a global citizen, because every purchase we make or resource we use affects people indirectly or directly around the world. Furthermore, our democratically elected government exerts its influence on our behalf in faraway countries, and we, as citizens of a democracy, have to, on some level, take responsibility for the actions of our government. So it’s almost impossible (at least in Canada) to not be a global citizen. 

The implementation of Alberta’s new social studies program of studies provided me with another initiative that, as the program rationale and philosophy states, allows “students to develop the attitudes, skills and knowledge that will enable them to become engaged, active, informed and responsible citizens” and to be “engaged in the democratic process and aware of their capacity to effect change in their communities, society and world.”

In 2007, we introduced a social action project to Grades 10 and 11. The Social Participation as Democratic Practice Project is designed to meet many of the outcomes in the program of studies (for example, outcomes related to the question, To what extent should my actions as a citizen be shaped by an ideology? and outcomes related to the skills and processes detailed in the program). Students research social, political, economic and human rights issues for an awareness campaign; examine and analyze NGOs; volunteer in the community (service learning); engage in personal reflection; and write letters to the editor, school principal, school board or local newspaper.

In 2008/09, I developed a UNESCO ASPNet Passport for Grades 11 and 12. Again, a clear connection exists between outcomes, values and attitudes, and knowledge and understandings. By the time students reach Grade 12, they “will assess their rights, roles and responsibilities as citizens” (see the Social Studies 30-1 program of studies, p. 24).

Students complete the UNESCO ASPNet Passport during the course, which is based on the four pillars of learning and participation in projects related to themes such as human rights, democracy and acceptance, intercultural learning, environmental concerns, world concerns and the role of the United Nations. The four pillars of learning are as follows:

1.        Learning to know 

• Awareness of world issues and their solutions

2.        Learning to do

• Active involvement in solution building

3.     Learning to be

• Development of attitudes and commitment to global citizenship

4.        Learning to live together

• Demonstrating respect for self and others

Students have the opportunity to participate in activities to meet these objectives. They can become involved in Students 4 Change initiatives, volunteer in the school or community, attend after-school films on related topics, perform acts of green, write letters to politicians or analyze music.

Students reflect on all activities as part of their evaluation. In my experience, this has proven to be a win-win situation for the school and the community. Not only are we developing engaged, active and responsible citizens but we are also building community.

If we are to develop the kinds of citizens that will shape the future, we must promote ways in which young people can develop the ideals and virtues of democracy. This new program of studies and teachers’ willingness to provide young people with opportunities to demonstrate affective citizenship will do much.

Recommended Reading

Alberta Education. 2005. The Heart of the Matter: Character and Citizenship Education in Alberta Schools. Edmonton, Alta.: Alberta Education.

Armstrong, S. 2008. Bitter Roots, Tender Shoots: The Uncertain Future of Afghanistan’s Women. Toronto: Viking Canada.

Barber, B. 1995. Jihad vs. McWorld—How Globalism and Tribalism Are Reshaping the World. New York: Random House.

———. 2004. Strong Democracy: Participatory Politics for a New Age. Berkeley, Calif.: University of California Press.

———. 2007. Consumed: How Markets Corrupt Children, Infantilize Adults, and Swallow Citizens Whole. New York: Norton.

Bolotta, A., M. Keirstead, J. Colyer, C. Costello and S. Pisani. 2006. Active Citizen: You Can Make a Difference. Toronto: Oxford University Press.

Diamond, L. 2008. The Spirit of Democracy: The Struggle to Build Free Societies Throughout the World. Palo Alto, Calif.: Stanford University Press.

Iyer, P. 2000. The Global Soul: Jet Lag, Shopping Malls, and the Search for Home. New York: Knopf.

Noddings, N. 2005. Educating Citizens for Global Awareness. New York: Columbia University Press.

Repo, S., and E. Shaker. 2004. “The Challenge of Global Education.” Our Schools/Our Selves 14, no. 1 (Fall).

———. 2007. “Teaching a Culture of Peace.” Our Schools/Our Selves 16, no. 2 (Winter).

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Glyn Hughes teaches high school social studies at George McDougall High School, in Airdrie.


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