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Hello, this is 6 minute English
from BBC Learning English. I'm Neil.
And I'm Georgie.
Georgie, what do you think makes
a good citizen?
Ooh, interesting question.
I think a good citizen is someone
who doesn't break the law
and is generally kind
to other people.
What about you?
Any ideas?
Yeah, I agree.
But also maybe people
who volunteer –
so, people who run clubs for children
and that kind of thing.
I think they're good citizens.
Now, being a citizen, a member
of society who enjoys certain rights
in return for having
certain responsibilities,
is an old idea that's been
in the news a lot recently.
It's something that interests
Myra Anubi, presenter
of BBC World Service programme
People Fixing the World.
What do you think makes
a good citizen?
Is it someone who follows the law of
the land and pays their taxes?
Well, some people might say
it should go beyond that
and a good citizen is one who tries
to improve the place where they live.
A good citizen obeys the law of the
land – a term for the set of rules
and laws that exists in a country.
But should there be more to it
than that?
Around the world, young people
today are less likely to vote
and many people aged 18 to 30
say they feel ignored by politicians.
So, in this programme,
we'll be hearing about MyPolis,
an exciting project helping
young people in Portugal
re-engage with their citizenship.
And, as usual, we'll be learning
some useful new words and phrases,
all of which you'll find on
our website, bbclearningenglish.com.
But before that,
I have a question for you, Neil.
The project's name, MyPolis,
comes from the ancient Greek states,
such as Athens and Sparta, where
the idea of citizenship was born.
So, what is the meaning
of the Ancient Greek word 'polis'?
Is it: a) vote, b) people,
or c) city?
Hmm, that's a good question.
I'm going to guess b) people.
OK. Well, I'll reveal the correct
answer later in the programme.
MyPolis runs council assemblies where
children can propose improvements
to their local school community –
anything from fixing broken water
fountains to changing the curriculum.
Local politicians also attend,
listening to the children's ideas
and responding by giving
their support or explaining why not.
The project was started by
founder Bernardo Gonçalves
when he was in his 20s, because
he was disappointed by interactions
between political parties
and young people.
Here's Bernardo telling more
to BBC World Service Programme
People Fixing the World:
We have seen a quick erosion
in the trust of the population
in the democratic institutions,
such as the national parliaments,
such as the government in office.
We need to find new ways to connect
children and young citizens
to democratic institutions.
Otherwise the gap will get bigger
and bigger.
This is very dangerous for democracy.
Bernardo thinks Portugal has seen
an erosion of trust – a term
for the gradual weakening
of people's confidence in political
and economic institutions,
and the government in office.
A government in office means the
government in power at the present time.
MyPolis mirrors the political
activities that children will need
as adult citizens – things like voting
and holding politicians accountable.
Reporter Alison Roberts visited schools
around the Portuguese capital Lisbon
and was impressed by what she saw,
as she explains here
to Myra Anubi, presenter of BBC World
Service's People Fixing the World:
Another benefit is
MyPolis has designed the programme
so it can be included
as part of the national curriculum,
rather than as an add-on.
Well, it's good to know that
this is happening in other places,
but the thing
that also really strikes me here
is that politicians
are actually listening to these kids
and taking them seriously,
giving them answers,
because politicians, as we know,
can be hard to pin down.
The MyPolis programme is designed as
part of the whole school curriculum
and not just an add-on – meaning
something extra that is added later,
instead of being planned
in from the start.
Myra was impressed
that local politicians
take the schoolchildren seriously.
If you take someone
or something seriously,
you think it's important
and deserves attention.
And that's good because,
as everyone knows,
politicians can be hard to pin down.
To pin someone down means
to force them to explain their plans
and intentions in detail.
It sounds like the programme
is really developing active citizens
of the future in Portugal.
In fact, it's been so successful that
similar programmes have been started
in Italy, Hungary and Mozambique.
OK. Neil, I think I should reveal
the answer to my question.
I asked you, What is the meaning of
the Ancient Greek word polis?
And you said, People,
which was the wrong answer,
I'm afraid.
The right answer was c) city.
Argh, no! Right, it's time to recap
the vocabulary we've learned,
starting with the law of the land –
a term for the set of rules
and laws that exists in a country.
An erosion of trust happens when
people gradually lose confidence in
political and economic institutions.
If a government is in office,
it means they are currently in power.
An add-on is an extra part
that is added to something later,
rather than being built in
from the start.
If you take someone seriously,
you consider them important
and worthy of your attention.
And finally, if you find it hard
to pin someone down,
it's difficult to find out
their specific plans and intentions.
Once again,
our six minutes are up
but remember – you'll find a quiz
and worksheet for this episode
over on our website,
bbclearningenglish.com
See you there soon.
Bye!
Goodbye!
Vocabulary
Word 1 of 13break the law
phrase
0:19
"do something that is illegal."
More Listening Practice
About this lesson
Learn about citizenship and community involvement in this 6 Minute English episode.