Engaged Citizenship Common Experience

Civics and citizenship education is a vital part of the Australian curriculum, as it prepares students to become active and informed citizens in the community (ACARA, 2012). The term “civics and citizenship” covers a range of topics that relate to both the geography and history syllabuses. This includes government and democracy, citizenship, diversity and identity and laws and citizens. For students to be able to develop the necessary skills, attitudes and values to become active and informed citizens, civics and citizenship must be incorporated throughout the curriculum (ACARA, 2012). To understand the importance of civics and citizenship in primary education, both terms need to be understood and comprehended

In 2016 President Obama named the Stonewall Inn as the first National monument to LGBTQIA (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Questioning, Asexual, Intersex) rights. In history classes, we learned that movements can lead to progression to break down and change constitutional law, and the mindset of society. We hear about the civil rights movement, women’s rights and even the labor movement; but seldom do we hear about the gay rights movement. Many people say that the LGBTQIA community has been fighting since 1912 or WWII, but all can agree that the Stonewall riots started gay liberation and changed the LGBTQ community forever.

Richard Blanco, a famous Cuban-American poet who became the first Latin American, immigrant, and openly gay Inaugural Poet in 2013, wrote a variety of works based off his life and all the things that were going on in it. In Richard Blanco’s, “El Florida Room” and “The First Real San Giving Day”, Blanco provides the readers with a look into his personal life with information about his family and some characteristics of his life. Dealing with many different societal issues due to his culture and even his sexual orientation, Blanco describes what his life was truly like, more specifically geared towards his culture; being Cuban-American. Through his use of a chronological storytelling in his memoir and a reflection on the past in his poem,

In the 1980’s and 1990’s, society wasn’t the most accepting of places for people who were different from the “social norms”. Now I know, people today still struggle with trying to fit in and be “normal” but it was different. Being a gay man living in San Fransisco at the time, which had a large gay population, Richard Rodriguez had a hard time dealing with the discrimination he faced. Richard Rodriguez was an American journalist who wrote and published a memoir about his life as a gay man. In October of 1990, Rodriguez published his memoir “Late Victorians” in Harper’s Magazine, a critically acclaimed publication of the time. In his memoir, Rodriguez describes what it was like to realize he was gay and watch as the country changed to become a more accepting place. He does this by setting up how things can change and then explaining the actual ways things change for the gay population.

Jose Vargas tells the story of his life; from coming to America, finding out that he is residing here illegally, learning how to live with that, and finally to sharing with everyone that he is an undocumented immigrant. Jose has a difficult task in front of him, though. He must win his audience over to his side so that he can further his agenda of developing an easier path for undocumented immigrants to receive citizenship. There are many ways he could go about this, trying to skirt the topic of his illegal activities, but Jose is an intelligent man and knows how to influence his audience. He uses the story of his life to connect with others, and in connecting with them wins them over, even if only indeterminably so. In My Life as an

Vulnerability is a compelling aspect of this text and Vargas consistently uses it throughout the text to appeal to his audience’s sympathy. This is made brazenly obvious when Vargas tells the audience he is gay and then proceeds to write, “Tough as it was, coming out about being gay seemed less daunting than coming out about my legal status.” By telling his audience it is harder to come out to people as an undocumented immigrant than it is to tell people he is gay, it puts everything in perspective. While both gay and immigrants are highly debated topics, the typical American understands how hard it is to come out as gay. It is a challenging and taxing experience to come out as gay because not everyone agrees with that lifestyle. By comparing the two, his audience, legal Americans, are able to begin to understand how formidable coming out as an undocumented immigrant truly is. Vargas strongly appeals to pathos by comparing undocumented immigration to sexuality, evoking empathy from his audience.

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I had the pleasure to volunteer with Adopt a Rescue Pet with the most wonderful and passionate people for my civic engagement project. I also had the opportunity to work with the founder of the organization Elizabeth Davis Rubin. Not only did I had the chance to work with Elizabeth, but she also gave me the opportunity to come to her office to talk to her about the organization. I learn many things from this project, I got to see the behind the scenes of an organization and all the challenges they come across. On this small journey I also learn about the opportunities some employers give to their employees. After a casual conversation with my manager to request a Saturday off to be able to volunteer, he mentions The Suited for Service Program. Any employers that work with the Suited

“We the People of the United States, in order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish the Constitution for the United States of America.” Without the right that the Constitution brings us, we wouldn’t have rights therefore the United States wouldn’t be a good place to live in. The Constitution brings us the right of freedom of speech (first amendment) , the right to bear arms (second amendment), and the right to protect against unreasonable government actions such as search and seizure of person property (fourth amendment). Being an American citizen means that you have rights that they would like you to fulfil. As an American citizen is it voluntary to vote, but others are required such as obeying the law and paying taxes. The Magna Carta, John Locke’s Second Treatise of Government, and the Petition of Rights explains the rights and the responsibilities of an American citizen.

I attended “Queer Brown Voices Platica” at the Esperanza Peace and Justice Center in San Antonio, Texas, on October 10, 2015. “Queer Brown Voices, Personal Narratives of Latina/o LGBT Activism” delves into the personal discrimination experiences inflicted upon them not only from the population at large but also from within their own Hispanic communities and their struggle to disrupt the cycle of sexism, racism and homophobia. One of the three books editors, Letitia Gómez (Leti), is my sister-in-law. To fully comprehend their fights to survive and be relevant in mainstream America is awe inspiring. Their activism was not only to negate the prejudices but also for equal access to healthcare particularly during the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the 1980’s.

When deciding what topic I wanted to write for my Civic Engagement Project, I already had in mind that I wanted something that most of us are not use to seeing nowadays. Many of us compare courts with punishment, but what if there was a court that did the opposite? When I was starting my research on the different courts we have here in Florida, I came across Drug Courts. The more I read up on drug courts, the more I became fascinated and intrigued. Drug courts do not aim to "PUNISH”, but yet to provide treatment to drug abusers. This kind of court believes that everyone deserves a second chance, that extra push. During my research, I was interested in learning a few things. Such things I 'd like to learn about this kind of

For my immersion paper I would like to write about the Latino LGBT community. This would be a great opportunity to immerse myself in a group that has had a history of oppression and recently has been involved in major civil movement towards equality. As I have previously mentioned in class, my 18-year-old brother is gay and has had a difficult time finding comfort in his environment. It was as if he had to go through a period of re-socialization to adapt a to a new role as a gay man. Being raised in a culture that shames homosexuality has strained my brother’s relationship with our nuclear family and his community as a whole. I would like to see how the Latino American LGBT community deals with the dichotomy between their culture/ethnicity

Community life and civic engagement are a huge responsibility of citizens, although it is not required by citizens, it is an important aspect of a proper citizen. Residents of a community have the constant responsibility of making the society around them reflect an advance in the eminence of lives in the community. The simple duty of any citizen is to give to the common good. Civic responsibilities are achieved by volunteering and choice. Volunteering, involving in positive organizations and aids, or tutoring people in certain subjects, are all ways that people can subsidize to the good of the community. Small deeds that seem to prosper someone in some way or the other is still a way of helping. To learn something from the assistance that one does to another, the deed does not have to be big, as long as the person providing the assistance is doing it with a good heart they can always acknowledge a lesson. Compassion and love is necessary in helping others. When people have the opportunity to help others they may not always get a gift in return, sometimes they may not even get a reply back. This is when the person has to realize that the purpose of helping someone is not for the thank you or the gift, but is for the satisfaction of their soul, betterment of the other, and the ability to learn a lesson. Assisting people needs to be done in a thoughtful and effective way for it to create a lasting impact on his/her self and on society itself.

Civic engagement refers to the ways in which citizens participate in the life of a community in order to improve conditions for others or to help shape the community’s future. It means promoting the quality of life in a community, through both political and non-political processes.

Being an active citizen is something that everyone in the United States is required to be, yet not everyone actually is one. Many people may believe that just voting is enough to be a good citizen, but voting is actually the least of their duties. Citizens have a set of rights and responsibilities, including the right to participate in decisions that affect public welfare. Being an active citizen means that people get involved in their local communities and democracy at all levels, from their town to nationwide activity. This can be volunteering to clean up the park or street, or educating students on democratic values, skills and participation. Active citizenship is a mixture of knowledge, attitude, skills and actions that aim to contribute to building and preserving a democratic society. When citizens speak up about problems in their communities, public officials take notice and may take action to answer their concerns, which empowers the citizens of the community.