According to the UK Parliament, citizenship education can be defined as giving ‘knowledge and understanding about becoming informed citizens…Developing skills of enquiry and communication…Developing skills of participation and responsible action’, all as part of the National Curriculum in Britain’s schools. But citizenship education is not just the responsibility of teachers and schools, it is something that must be rolled out and supported by parents and local businesses, in the name of corporate social responsibility, if it is to become a mindset and a way of life in the younger generations.
Corporate social responsibility can be basically defined as maximising a company’s positive influences on its local society, environment and economy and minimising the negatives and it is the society element of this which citizenship education falls into. Citizenship education is all about changing children’s attitudes and behaviour where necessary; teaching them about human rights; religious, ethnic and cultural differences in the UK; creating environments where children can take part in healthy debates on politics, religion and cultural issues and teach them that differences of opinion are positive and should be respected.
Businesses can offer citizenship education in many ways; by holding workshops in schools and clubs to teach children and young people about issues such as the importance of voting in local and general elections, human rights across the world and environmental issues in the UK. This list is by no means exhaustive, there are always important issues to discuss and these should be relevant to the type of business offering them. So, for example, companies who produce and sell food should, by rights, focus on teaching children about the environmental impacts of farming, producing packaging supplies and materials, transportation and the process of delivering food from farm to fork. Similarly, companies offering financial services should focus on teaching children about the economy, budgeting and money management and so work towards minimising the risk of future generations getting into spiralling debt.
If possible, local companies should be offering initiatives and schemes that give young people relevant work experience, as not only does this benefit young people but it also benefits the business in question by giving them access to a pool of future talent. Investing in young people and the local community is an effective way to secure a bright and successful future for both the business and the local people and while establishing this two-way relationship can take time, building trust in your brand and awareness of what you do can make the difference between a successful and thriving business and community and ones that simply exists.
See just how seriously companies are taking their Corporate Social Responsibility in the UK with schemes to support and encourage citizenship education and see how this is helping your local community.
Tags: citizenship education, corporate social responsibility, national curriculum, responsible action, uk parliament