Good citizen Research - Brownies / Scouts

Our course textbook, Rhetoric and Civic Life, states that “…being a citizen meanscommunicating with others.” (30)  Initially, upon reading this statement, I wholeheartedly disagreed.  I do not need to communicate with anyone to be a citizen.  Citizenship is an obligation for individuals to vote and a means to discourage them from betraying their country.  Furthermore, rhetoric has absolutely nothing to do with citizenship.

However, the more I thought about how absolutely incorrect this definition of citizenship was, the more I began to see its validity.  What does citizenship realistically entail?  Elementary schools present mere children with hundreds of “Good Citizenship” awards.  Why?  Boy Scouts and Brownie Troops encourage their budding young charges to become “good citizens” by encouraging active membership within their communities.  Why?  What link can there be between community service and citizenship? 

Based off of my definition, being a good citizen means protecting one’s country, as well as being an informed member of the community.  Is that not the purpose of community service?  Community service allows the members of a county, town, village, or city to organize themselves, learn about the trials their neighbors may be facing, and protect and aid their fellow citizens by whatever means they are able. Community service and citizenship can easily be related, but what does being an effective rhetor have to do with any of this? 

How is information spread?  There are a variety of methods: spoken word, textbooks, stories, lecture halls, flyers, and conversations, to name a few.  All of these techniques involve the presentation of information by an individual who has assembled facts about the cause for which he or she is speaking; in other words, rhetoric.  For example, the manager of a local food bank may speak at a town hall meeting about the dire need for donations during winter months.  She must be an effective rhetor or no one will be motivated to aid her cause.  A citizen must be able to provide persuasive, logical information to the public in order to motivate them to act on behalf of others or for the benefit of the community.  Thus, rhetoric must be used by citizens in the manner of the ancients, as a means for disseminating ideas and sharing knowledge for the benefit of all. 

The goal of the Cybercitizen Challenge is to help girls, at all levels of guiding, to be informed and responsiblecitizens of cyberspace. In particular, the challenge addresses five main issues girls and young women may encounter online:

• Safety: girls are made aware of how certain activities and behaviours may endanger their safety
• Privacy: girls learn what may become of personal information they post online, and how to protect their privacy
• Marketing: girls learn about the techniques marketers use to target young people
• Authentication of online information: girls are provided with practical methods for telling if online information is true or not
• Ethics: girls reflect on the ethical aspects of their online activities— from cyber bullying to posting pictures

An introduction to Girlguiding UK

Forewords

Girlguiding UK is the largest organisation in the UK that provides a safe, girl-only space for girls and young women at the most formative time in their personal and social development.

Welcome to Active citizenship: Girls shout out!, the latest research report in our Girls shout out! series.

With around 575,000 members, Girlguiding UK is the largest organisation for girls and young women in the UK. We believe this gives us a unique responsibility to provide a platform for our young members to speak out about what matters most to them.

sufficient prominence. They are put off by a lack of young MPs and by having so few female role models to .
rIn our fourth report, which coincides with the 80th anniversary of the Equal Franchise Act which gave women the same voting rights as men, we look at the issue of active citizenship and consider what this means to today’s young women, eight decades on. Working with equality campaigners, the Fawcett Society, and youth campaigners, the British Youth Council, we consider the full range of issues which inspire – and discourage – young women’s participation in their communities and in local

As we approach the next election, the first time many of our members will be able to vote, a panel of young women have come together to develop a call to action, setting out what they believe the government, political parties, the media and others need to do to reach out to young people and demonstrate the difference their involvement with political processes can make. We hope their calls will be taken seriously by all those committed to engaging with young people.

and national politics.

Girlguiding UK believes passionately in giving young women the confidence, skills and experiences to broaden their horizons, reach for new goals and make the very best decisions for them as individuals. We hope that this report will enable us to do even more to help our members to engage as active citizens – which will be good for them, good for their communities and good for us all.

Our aim is to welcome even more members and supporters, particularly from a wider spectrum of cultures and socio-economic backgrounds.
Project SWITCH is just one example of how we are successfully reaching out to new communities.

As we approach our Centenary in 2010, guiding is still about helping girls to achieve more than they ever thought possible.

We found girls in guiding to be committed volunteers, who care deeply about a diverse range of important issues. But they are largely sceptical about politics and question whether getting involved can really help to make a difference. Many feel there is little or no information available to make politics accessible to people of their age and worry that issues important to young people are not given

occurred to me.

From The Fawcett Society

to see more young MPs and more women MPs and to hear the issues of relevance to them debated (domestic violence tops the list and equal opportunities and equal pay also feature).

From the British Youth Council

workshops, programmes and events. We enable young people to get involved in democracy and decision-making – whether we’re supporting their participation in organisations, connecting those who aren’t in education, employment or training with their MPs, or providing training for young people and adults involved with Local Youth Councils.

At least weekly in debates and conversations, I come to the defence of today’s young women. The accusations made against them are rarely flattering.
I am repeatedly told that young women are not interested in politics, that they are unaware of their history, are reluctant feminists and are more likely to aspire to becoming a glamour model than to take an active role in their communities. And yet, when I meet young women, they confound every one of these accusations. They are impassioned advocates, inspiring speakers and keen to change the world around them. So I was delighted to have my optimism about this new generation of active citizens confirmed by this report.

In this report young women give us their views and offer the keys to making politics modern and relevant to them. Political parties have a duty to respond to their agenda not only to survive (after all, these are tomorrow’s voters), but to thrive on the energy and enthusiasm of a new generation.

This report really demonstrates that girls in guiding play a vital role in supporting their communities.
A fantastic 96 per cent of girls surveyed engage in volunteering. So today’s girls do still believe they can do their bit to change the world.

This report should be required reading for all our political leaders.

However, this same report found that these young women, traditionally among the most active citizens for their age groups, feel disillusioned with politics as a means of making a difference. This worries me because I believe that all young people should feel that they can have their say and be heard. More young people need to have a voice in political decision-making, more young people need to have governance roles, and young people need the vote at 16.

I really support this report’s recommendations. Young people themselves are taking action to address the problems they see in politics: a lack of young political role models, little use of technology to engage young people and negative representations of young people in the media. I call on everyone to help these recommendations become reality. Let’s give our generation a voice together.

But, like every generation before them, today’s young women are redefining citizenship to fit with their concerns and realities. If citizenship is to work for this new generation, it has to be a different form of citizenship. The gap between Westminster and the daily lives of today’s young women is rapidly widening into a chasm as young women struggle to see the relevance of national politics, don’t have the information they need to engage and often choose volunteering over political engagement. They want

Dr Katherine Rake OBE Director
The Fawcett Society

I believe that although young people are sometimes disillusioned by formal politics they can’t just be dismissed as apathetic. Indeed this report demonstrates that it is often a lack of information about opportunities that prevents young women from getting involved in politics or campaigning.

Emily Beardsmore
Chair of the British Youth Council

As a youth-led organisation the British Youth Council helps boost young people’s skills through our training

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Methodology

Girlguiding UK polled girls in guiding to discover their level of involvement in and attitudes towards active citizenship.

‘Citizenship isn’t a young person’s word –

it sounds stuffy – we need to use’

Contents 5 Methodology

language that young people can relate to.

10–11 Motivations and barriers

Active citizenship: Girls shout out! represents the voices of 1,000 girls and young women in guiding.

A group of young women also came together to respond to the research findings and to develop a call to action for the attention of the Government, political parties, policy makers and the media.

Girls in guiding aged 14-25 were polled and smaller panels convened to discuss the findings.

Why are girls so committed to volunteering but so disengaged from politics?

Polling was conducted by Populus, who surveyed 981 members of Girlguiding UK online and on paper between 15 July and 19 September 2008. All the participants are members of Girlguiding UK’s Senior Section, aged between 14 and 25. Girlguiding UK and Populus also consulted a panel of young women about the content of the survey and their views were taken into account at all stages of the research process.

6–7 Executive summary

12–13 The issues that matter

Populus is a member of the British Polling Council and abides by its rules.

The report reveals a passion for the big issues but little political involvement.

Which issues do girls care about most?

8–9 The state of affairs

14–15 A call to action

How do today’s girls and young women prefer to volunteer?

Girls reveal their ideas for increasing youth participation in political life.

ry

Active citizenship: Girls shout out!

reveals a generation of girls passionate about many issues but profoundly disillusioned with politics.

Active citizens?

three fifths believing they are more involved than their parents.

smaller number of girls involved in politics, one in ten are inspired by the desire to change the big issues in the world, while six per cent are motivated by career prospects.

and young people specifically. Girls were most committed to playing a part in stopping domestic violence against women and children. Other inspiring issues were: speaking out about gangs and knife crime; preventing bullying; equality for women in the workplace; and combating the pressure on young women to have sex before they are ready.

Girlguiding UK has always encouraged its members to support their communities and the vast majority of girls surveyed are committed volunteers. However, even girls in guiding, traditionally among the most active citizens in their age groups, reveal real disengagement from both local and national politics, raising the question of whether there is an even deeper disillusionment among girls outside guiding. When interviewed about the findings, one girl explained, “When I think about being an active citizen, I don’t think about politics. I volunteer –

Ambitions for engagement

When girls were asked what would motivate them to take part in politics, a quarter were clear that they are either not involved now, or would not wish to be in the future. What is more, one in six of those who do take part have been put off by their experiences and would like to cut down their current level of involvement.

Barriers

Over a quarter of girls ascribe their lack of political engagement to insufficient information about how and why they should take part. But scepticism also plays its part, with the remaining top five reasons for disengagement all indicating disenchantment with politics and cynicism about whether it can make any difference to the issues they care about.

A call to action

but politics just never occurred to me.”

But, with the right approach, there is scope for substantial change. Over a quarter of the girls surveyed would like to participate more in national or local politics and there is a growing appetite for volunteering, with around half hoping to get even more involved than they are already.

On the back of these research findings, girls in guiding have developed a call to action for the Government, political parties, policy makers and the media. The Plan for Political Participation outlines how each of these groups can play its part in addressing political disengagement among young people in the run-up to the next general election and addresses issues such as education, voting technology and widening exposure and access to political office for younger people.

Ninety-six per cent of the girls questioned engage in some kind of volunteering. In contrast, less than half the number who volunteer have any involvement with politics (45 per cent) and those who are engaged commit significantly less time.

The issues at stake

Motivations

When asked about the issues that might motivate them to get involved in politics or volunteering, girls were most inspired by the prospect of being able to make a real difference to the lives of girls, women

And a third of girls believe that young women are becoming more disengaged from politics over time. A third think they are less involved in politics than their parents’ generation, while two fifths feel engagement has levelled off. However, engagement with volunteering is seen to be increasing, with

Girls’ principal motive for volunteering is CV points – three fifths say it is their top reason for getting involved. Yet many also want to help others, with a similar number also explaining that they volunteer

‘

Too many young people have experiences at school

where they are told their opinions count, but when because this makes them feel good. Among the it comes down to it, their opinions are ignored. of affairs

Girls are committed to volunteering but profoundly disengaged from the political process.

Volunteering: are girls happy with their level of involvement?

Local or national politics

Campaigning for local or national issues

Volunteering in the local community

I’d like to be more involved

10%

11%

10%

I’d like to be less involved

28%

36%

I want to keep the same level of involvement as
I have now

47%

45%
8%

41%

‘Volunteering is much more accessible than politics – ’ it’s much easier to see the difference you are making.

48% 14%

2%

Not stated

Everyday engagement

Politics

Trends over time

become engaged. One in six of those who do take part (14 per cent) would like to reduce their current level of involvement.

Girls in guiding are strongly committed to volunteering and supporting their communities – values and structures that are promoted by Girlguiding UK and its programme. However, even among this cohort of girls, traditionally among the most active citizens in their peer group, there is significant disengagement from both national and local politics and campaigning.

By comparison, the girls surveyed – many of whom will be able to vote for the first time in the next general election – are detached from national and local political processes such as supporting a political party or local council, or participating in a student union or school council. Less than half the numbers who volunteer have any involvement with politics (45 per cent) and those who are engaged commit significantly less time – an average of 25 minutes a week. Girls become less likely to participate the older they get, with young women over 22 being the least likely to take part.

A third of girls believe lack of involvement in politics is becoming more acute over time and state that they are less involved in politics than their parents’ generation. Just one in six feel they are more engaged (16 per cent), while two fifths feel engagement has plateaued (41 per cent). A quarter think they are less involved in campaigning than their parents (24 per cent), half feel that engagement has stayed the same (48 per cent) and 18 per cent believe they are more involved. However, engagement with volunteering is on the rise, with three fifths believing they are more involved than their parents (59

Yet with the right approach, there is clearly substantial scope for change. Over a quarter would like to participate more in national or local politics (28 per cent), while over a third would like to be more involved in campaigning (36 per cent). And girls also emphasised their keen appetite for volunteering. Around half would like to get even more involved than they are already (47 per cent).

Volunteering

Girls are more likely to volunteer, for example by taking Guide meetings, fundraising for causes they believe in, taking part in local conservation projects, or acting as a mentor to younger children, than to be involved in their communities in any other way. Ninety-six per cent of the girls surveyed engage in some kind of volunteering, committing an average of two hours and three minutes a week.

Campaigning

per cent).

Just over half of girls report that they are not involved at all in national and local issue-based campaigns, such as raising awareness of important issues, supporting national pressure groups, or trying to set up or save local amenities. Only two fifths are actively engaged with campaigning, committing an average of 26 minutes a week.

Aspirations

When asked about what would motivate them to take part in politics, a quarter stated that they were either not involved now, or would not want to be in the future. It is also clear that much more needs to be done to maintain girls’ interest after they have

89

Motivations and barriers

Notching up CV points is many girls’ biggest motivation for volunteering, but making the world a better place is high on their agenda too.

‘I’d like to vote at the next election, but I’ don’t feel like I have enough information.

We then set out to examine why it is that even girls who are so engaged with volunteering are disillusioned with politics and campaigns. We asked them about their motivation for taking part and about what is preventing them from getting involved.

Clubs and societies

Or bowing out?

Volunteering

And fun is also at the root of why girls take part in clubs, named by two fifths as the chief reason they get involved. More than a third participate because they want to do their fair share (36 per cent), while many see it as fending off boredom – as something that fills their time (30 per cent) and is better than other things (26 per cent). Looking ahead, a quarter think that getting involved will look good on their CV.

Politics

Girls feel better informed about volunteering, and the main barrier – cited by a quarter (24 per cent) – is the feeling that they do enough already. Inadequate transport is also cited by almost a fifth (17 per cent) and lack of funds by one in ten.

Getting stuck in?

Over a quarter of girls attribute their lack of engagement in politics to insufficient information about how and why they should take part (27 per cent). Yet scepticism also plays its part, with the remaining top five reasons for disengagement –
for example that it is not worth the effort, that they have more important things to do and that it won’t make any difference – all indicating disenchantment with politics and cynicism about its impact. One in six (15 per cent) also say that there are no worthwhile organisations in their area.

Clubs or societies

Volunteering

It is also money that prevents many girls from taking part in clubs or societies. A quarter say they cannot afford to get involved (24 per cent) while almost a fifth (17 per cent) cannot find the transport to get them there. The feeling that they do enough already also discourages a fifth (22 per cent).

Girls’ principal motive for volunteering is CV points – with three fifths naming it as their top reason for getting involved (61 per cent).

Politics

But community spirit has not fallen by the wayside and today’s girls do still believe they can do their bit to change the world. Three fifths also say they volunteer because it feels good to help people (59 per cent), and almost half explain that they help out because they think it is important to try and change the big issues in the world and feel that if something is important to them they should do what they can to change it (45 per cent). Over half volunteer because it is fun (56 per cent).

Among the smaller number of girls currently involved with politics, the key driver behind the engagement of one in ten is the desire to try and change the big issues in the world and the belief that if you feel that something is important you should do what you can to change it. This is closely followed by its impact on their career prospects (six per cent).

Campaigning

Campaigning

Lack of information is also the main disincentive for campaigning, named by 26 per cent. Here, however, practicalities – that they cannot get transport (14 per cent), they don’t want to give up the time (13 per cent) and that they don’t have the money (11 per cent) – are seen as more of a deterrent than doubts about the impact of their activities.

Doing good is also the principal inspiration for campaigning, with almost a fifth citing achieving change as their incentive for getting involved (17 per cent).

10

11

The issues

‘Young people just don’t realise that lots of the issues they care about are’ directly affected by politics.

that matter

Girls are more likely to get behind the wider issues than to engage with their local communities.

What are the top issues for

‘There needs to be a focus on issu’es that affect young people directly.

today’s girls and young

When we asked girls what challenges a Girlguiding UK Citizenship Award should involve, they chose:

women?

•

Going on a sponsored run or walk to raise money for a good cause (54 per cent).

When we asked girls about the issues they cared about most, they wanted to:

• •

• Stop domestic violence against women and children (52 per cent).

Standing up for someone who’s getting bullied (36 per cent).

Issues

Citizenship

Writing to your local MP about an issue you really care about (31 per cent).

The desire to make a difference to the lives of girls, women and young people is the main reason why today’s young women get involved with politics, campaigning and volunteering.

We then asked girls to think about what elements
of their own day-to-day behaviour – in their own communities and beyond – would make them a good citizen. Girls were asked what tasks girls should have to undertake if Girlguiding UK were to introduce a good citizenship badge.

• Speak out against young people and gangs who carry knives (46 per cent).

•

Going door-to-door, selling something like a Poppy, wristband, badges or ribbons, to raise money for a charity or cause
(23 per cent).

Stand up against bullying (39 per cent).

• ••

The most inspiring issue was felt to be stopping domestic violence against women and children, named by over half of the respondents. Speaking out against young people and gangs who carry knives came second, named by 46 per cent, followed by standing up against bullying (39 per cent), making sure women have the same career opportunities as men (36 per cent) and combating the pressure on young women to have sex before they are ready

Make sure women have the same opportunities as men in their careers (36 per cent).

•

Buying something like a Poppy, ribbon, or wristband to show support for a charity or cause (22 per cent).

Overall, raising money for charities and causes and standing up for someone who is getting bullied were seen as amongst the best indicators of good citizenship.

Combat the pressure on young women to have sex before they are ready to do so (33 per cent).

•

Turning off the lights when you are the last person to leave the room (14 per cent).

However, awareness of political issues – remembering the name of their MP, knowing how many states there are in the EU, being able to name the largest ethnic minority in the UK or knowing the year that women were given the vote – was seen as less important, as was day-to-day civic engagement such as picking up litter, helping people cross the road or taking energy-saving measures like turning off

• •

Tackle climate change (31 per cent). Say ‘no’ to drugs (31 per cent).

Voting in elections as soon as you are old enough (13 per cent).

(33 per cent).

Put an end to the airbrushing of models’ photos in fashion magazines (27 per cent).

• • •

Knowing how many member states are in the European Union (12 per cent).

A ban on the airbrushing of models was named by around a quarter (27 per cent), as was fighting for equal pay (25 per cent).

• •

Reduce the amount of debt developing countries owe to the developed world (27 per cent).

Making sure TVs and computers at home are not left on standby when they are not being used (11 per cent).

the lights.

Fight for equal pay between women and men (25 per cent).

Picking up litter dropped by someone else and putting it in the bin (9 per cent).

A group of young women came together to examine the findings of the research and develop a call for action.

Inspiring tomorrow’s voters:

A Plan for Participation from

Girlguiding UK

s is’ relevant to young people.

1. We call on the Government to consult young people on a new Youth Green Paper to set out an action plan for youth engagement. This would, for example:

• make political education compulsory in secondary schools • sign up a well-known figure as Minister for Young People to

advocate political participation

• appoint a panel of young ambassadors to tour schools and motivate pupils

‘Politics needs to have more of a presence in the forums that young people really use like ’ blogs, chat rooms and social networking sites.

• give young people a say about the issues that affect them directly

• set local MPs an annual target for school visits.

2. We call on all political parties to:

• set annual targets for offering work experience placements to 14- to 21-year-olds

• publish ‘Young People’s Manifestos’ which explain key policies on their terms

Girls and young women in guiding have reviewed the research findings and developed a call to action for the Government, political parties, policy makers and the media. The Plan for Political Participation outlines how each of these groups can play its part in addressing political disengagement, getting more young people involved with the political processes that affect their lives, and demonstrating how politics can be integral to their role as active citizens.

Younger MPs, more women in politics, celebrity role-models and advocates who appeal to their demographic were seen as key to reaching people of their age. Committing political parties to setting annual targets for offering work experience placements to 14- to 21-year-olds was seen as an important way of giving young people access to a world that can often seem remote and daunting.

The group also pressed for young people to be given greater access to politics via the media, recommending the appointment of youth correspondents by national media outlets, and the introduction of a monthly young people’s political press conference, giving under-21s the chance to interview politicians about issues they believe to be important.

• ensure that every shortlist of prospective candidates includes one person under 25.

3. We call on the Electoral Commission to promote new pilot schemes for text and online voting to make participation more accessible to young people.

4. We call on the national media to give young people opportunities to question politicians by:

The group called for new legislation, enshrined in a Youth Green Paper, outlining fresh policies to engage young people. Girls felt that compulsory political education in schools – presented in a style and tone that would appeal to young people and overcome the perception that politics is remote, boring and elitist – was vital to motivating young people.

Girls advised that voting via the technology they use every day, particularly text messages and the Internet, should be allowed in order to prevent young people, particularly those away from home in further or higher education, being put off or confused by logistics.

Finally, girls called for UCAS points to be awarded for active citizenship in order to formalise its value among universities, employers and the world beyond.

• appointing a youth correspondent – someone under 21 – to conduct interviews about issues affecting young people

•

arranging a monthly young persons’ press conference with key politicians.

5. We call on UCAS and universities to award and recognise points for active citizenship.