the character issue | citizenship

Ah, Citizenship. Perhaps the most underrated of all the SLOCA Character Traits (hmm…might be a tie with Stewardship?) – Citizenship is in fact one of the most compelling character traits of the bunch, particularly at this moment in time. 

How does SLOCA define Citizenship?

Perhaps when you hear the word “citizen,” images of people going to the voting booth come to mind, or even reporting for jury duty (gulp). While these actions are important and honorable, perhaps we need to take a birds eye view of citizenship in order to fully internalize it’s relevance. Citizenship = how you are in community. Community! What a wonderful thing. A building block of a thriving society, but also an indispensable part of being human. 

By now, most of us are seeing (and feeling) the effects of our “connected world,” – a phrase that takes on incredible irony as we are in fact less connected than ever. While this isn’t a one size fits all fix – getting in community is one excellent solution! Find your people in any number of places – local clubs, school, church and volunteer opportunites are a great place to start. Let’s teach our children how to be active citizens, ultimately giving them the opportunity to look outside themselves; to offer them a sense of purpose and meaning. 

Are you starting to dig Citizenship more? Intrigued? Here are a few discussion starters for you and your family. Pick a few to get your kids thinking more about what it means to practice good Citizenship! You can even download and print the provided coloring page for them to work on during your discussion.

• First, ask your kids if they can define Citizenship.
• Read with them the SLOCA definition. See how the definitions compare.
• What makes a community?
• What communities are you a part of? Do you like being a part of these communities? What do you appreciate about them?
• What are the qualities of a good citizen?
• What responsibilities do you have as a citizen? What privileges do you have?
• What are some things we can do to serve our family, our school, our city, or our country in these current times?
• Can one person make a difference? Can you think of an example (or more), perhaps someone studied this year?
• What does “Everyone counts” mean to you?
• Imagine what the world would be like if we all just lived for ourselves.
• Take the time to make an acrostic of “CITIZENSHIP”. (For example: C-Community or Country, I-Indispensable or Indivisible, etc.) Display it in your home to remind you of this month’s character trait.
• Search for quotes from people that you think exemplify citizenship. Share them as a family or write them up.
• If you could pick one person that you know to be “Citizen of the Month” who would you pick and why?

We’d love to see your child’s artwork displayed! Email [email protected] to share. Not into coloring sheets but would still like a reminder of this month’s character trait? Click here to purchase our full set of Character Trait posters.