FOCUS 4
FOCUS 4 – Civics and Government
Going to the polls, first of all. Being a positive role model for your children. In my personal case as teacher and mom: Educating children to be responsible and critical individuals. Helping out where help is needed, and speaking up against injustice (might be your neighbor’s fence on your territory, or the crime you witnessed the other day). Finding a balance between welcoming immigrants with open arms and protecting what’s yours by law. Respecting the Constitution and Human Rights. —Anne Being a German citizen means living by German laws, rules, and regulations. In Germany the traditional values play a decisive role. Therefore the Sunday is still to this day considered a quiet day you are ought to spend with family or friends focusing on essential core values. Due to that reason, stores are closed on Sundays and you are not allowed to mow your lawn. Being German also means living with important traditions that are implied in our cultural lives throughout the year (Maibaum, Fasching, Allerheiligen, Weihnachten, Ostern etc.)
Our country believes in our social security system which is funded by our tax payers. It is designed to support the citizens that are not as well-off or currently unemployed. On a global level it is our responsibility to act as a role model for example concerning the use of alternative sustainable energies. —Veronika I think one of the most important things is to make sure that something like the third Reich never happens again. That means, remembering and learning from our past, paying attention to what happens in politics, and speaking up when our basic rights are being questioned by those we have elected to protect them. In connection to this, I believe one of our most important duties is to go out and vote in every election. Democracy is a privilege. It is something people in other parts of the world (especially women) are still fighting for. Democracy and the right to vote is not something that is a given. Just ask people who still remember the third Reich or who are from East Germany. —Annika
—Melanie The most important responsibility is the preservation of our democracy: to accept different opinions, to discuss and analyze different points of view, to form an opinion on matters of importance, to go and vote. Besides this, I also understand it as my responsibility as a German to not tolerate or accept the new rise of National Socialism in my country, and to be aware of these new concerning trends in the first place. —Benni
GERMANY IN FOCUS
A Transatlantic Outreach Program Instructional text for secondary educators
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