Civic Duties of Teenagers
Introduction
Civic duty is the obligation to each of us to leave our community in a better condition than we found it. Every person in our country has rights, and with those rights come responsibilities. That is what civic duty is, your rights and responsibilities that help contribute to society. Every single day we perform these tasks to help better our country as a whole. Teenagers have a huge role in this circle, whether they believe it or not. The civic duties that teenagers perform are a crucial part of our society, because they are the ones who grow up to be the next generation.
Rights of a Teenager
As a teenager, you are entitled to your rights. It’s easy to think that teens have no power over anything, even their own lives. However, teenagers have more rights than you might think. Many of a teenager’s rights stem from having the ability to make a wise decision without parental consent. Every single day, teenagers everywhere are blindly fulfilling their civic duties. When a teenager goes to school, they pledge allegiance to the flag. They are basically making a pledge to the United States of America stating that they will fulfill their civic duties.
I like to think of this as ‘signing a contract’, and most of them do it without even knowing it. Some of a teen’s rights are lawful rights, meaning they are permitted by law. One lawful right is going to school. Children have the right to a free public education beginning at age six. Teens sixteen and older have the right to decide if they want to attend school or not. In most states, a parent is required to sign agreeing with this decision. Another lawful right teenagers have is being able to have a job. Some states allow you to begin working as early as age fourteen.
Another lawful right that teenagers have is the right to feel safe. A teen has the right to feel safe from all emotional and physical harm. If a teenager does not feel safe, they have the legal right to be taken out of the situation and placed in a safer one. Teenagers also have unwritten rights, or norms. These rights aren’t lawful, meaning they are a choice. One unwritten right is the right to drive. In most states, when you turn fourteen you can obtain an instructional permit if you pass a written test. With this permit, you learn to drive with a licensed adult in the car.
Then, when you turn sixteen you can get a drivers license if you pass a driving test. Responsibilities of a Teenager From the point of view of a teenager, “Every generation has a role they need to play in society, and whether they think so or not, teens have one too” (Simpson, Nealle). Eventually, the teenagers are going to turn into adults. As you progress through your teen years, you gain more rights. This teaches you to make good decisions, many times without parental consent. “I don’t think teenagers should be expected to do more things,” said Nealle. They already have enough on their plates. ” In America, teenagers are very well off. In many other parts of the world, teenagers have few rights compared to Americans. “In some countries, girls get married as early as fourteen… ”she stated. “And the worst part is that they don’t even get to choose who they marry! ” From the point of view of a middle aged person, “Teenagers should share their burden of society duties” (Simpson, Jud). Every teenger should contribute so that a successful society can exist. “When you’re a teenager you kinda just shuffle your way through life,” said Jud. It’s a great time to make mistakes, but it’s also essential to learn from those mistakes. ” Jud says that when he was a kid, rules were much more strict, and they were disciplined harder and more often. “Teens aren’t taught to be as respectful now a days,” he said. From the point of view of a senior, “Teenagers serve as better role models to other teenagers than adults” (Bailey). “If kids see another kid doing it, they think it’s cool, so they try it. Rarely do teens listen to adults about what’s in and what isn’t,” explains Bailey. In America, a decent percent of teenagers often volunteer in their community, but Bailey has a different pinion. “I think teenagers should volunteer more often,” he said. The definition of civic duty is literally ‘the activities that one does to serve their community. ’ “Teens don’t often think about how big their role is in society… ” said Bailey. “When I was younger, I was in all sorts community projects. ” Bailey would like to see more teens signing up to volunteer, but he is very strong about his opinion that it should be a choice. He thinks adults should steer teenagers in the right direction, and then let them make the decisions.
Being a teenager is a good time to learn how to make responsible decisions. “It should be voluntary,” says Bailey. “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make them drink. ” My Civic Duties I find myself very lucky to live in the United States of America. Sadly, in many other countries teenagers like me are much less fortunate and have fewer rights. What is even more sad to me is that many teenagers take for granted the rights they inherit as U. S. citizens. One example is that some teens actually take up the opportunity to drop out of high school whenever they get the chance.
It upsets me that they don’t continue with their education and become a better educated citizen, especially considering it is free. As an American, I share the right of free speech with all other citizens. I also reserve the right to drive. As of age fourteen, I am legally able to drive after going through proper instruction. I also have the right to own animals. I am very lucky to be able to say that I have the right to an education. In some other countries, like Mexico, they do not have free public education. I think this is partly what makes America so successful.
In Alaska, when I turn fourteen I have the right to employment. I believe that this is a nice aspect of our society in America, because it teaches teenagers like me to learn how to work with others and manage expenses. In turn, they can grow up to be responsible with money. They will also grow up to be cooperative when working with a group of people. As a citizen, I also have the right to travel abroad with a U. S. Passport. Another right I have is the right to exercise my religion. I am able to live freely and express my religion without consequence.
Where there are rights, there are responsibilities. I feel like many teenagers my age think that they get all of these rights without having any responsibilities. One example is cleaning up after themselves. Many teens expect things to be clean for them, yet they never clean up after themselves. I often see teenagers littering, whether it be leaving plastic bottles on the side of the road, or simply just leaving wads of gum under the table. One of my responsibilities is to attend school. Not only must I attend school, I must also complete all of my work in order to learn and be a successful student.
I have the responsibility to stay informed about things like current events and politics on local, state, national and worldwide levels. Being successful with my education will lead to my becoming a literate and productive citizen. I have the responsibility to learn how to drive, and how to drive responsibly. The government promises me protection, and in turn I must abide by the laws and be a good citizen no matter where I am. When traveling abroad, I have the responsibility to be a good ambassador for the United States. Even though I have the right to exercise my religion, that does not mean I can disrespect other people’s religions.
I have the responsibility to respect all other religions, and in turn other people should also respect my religious views.
Conclusion
In conclusion, I believe that teenagers have a consequential role in our society. It is of utmost importance for us as teenagers, the next generation, to recognize that although we are given a host of very enjoyable and enticing rights, we must uphold the responsibilities that couple these rights. If we fail to meet our responsibilities, the results could be disastrous, and we will create an undesirable, unsafe, unstable and unhealthy society for us and future generations to live in.
