Social SciencesFreePrintable

Civil Rights Active Citizenship

A free social sciences worksheet ready for your classroom. Open in Kuraplan to grab the print-ready PDF, customize it for your students, or generate a fresh version in seconds.

Download now

Name:Date:

Civil Rights Active Citizenship

Read the case study, then use evidence and civic ideas to plan a fair, safe response. For open questions, other well-reasoned answers may also be acceptable.

Case study: The town hall proposal

A council is considering a proposal to make its public swimming pool more accessible. The draft plan would add a ramp and a hoist, but the council has not yet decided how to pay for them. Some residents say the changes are essential for disabled people to use the pool fairly. Others worry that the work could raise costs or delay repairs to the changing rooms. A group of rangatahi wants the council to hear from people who use the pool. They could gather views, check reliable information about accessibility, write to councillors, speak at a public meeting, or organise a peaceful petition. Before acting, they should consider whose voices may be missing and how to make participation accessible. They should also check the council's submission process and use respectful, accurate language. In Aotearoa New Zealand, people can take part in public debate and peaceful assembly. The New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990 includes rights such as freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, and protection from discrimination. Rights are important, but they may be subject to lawful limits; exercising them does not remove the need to respect other people's rights and safety. Active citizenship can include questioning decisions, contributing ideas, listening to others, and working with communities to seek change.

Aotearoa context

People in New Zealand have used collective action to raise issues of rights and fairness. Examples include the 1975 Māori Land March, which drew attention to Māori land rights, and the 1981 Springbok Tour protests, during which people strongly disagreed about sporting contact with apartheid-era South Africa. These events involved different viewpoints and actions; studying them means considering their context, aims and effects rather than assuming everyone experienced them in the same way.

1.In the pool case study, what is the main fairness issue the rangatahi want the council to consider?

2.Which right named in the case study most directly supports holding a peaceful public meeting to discuss the proposal?

Freedom of peaceful assembly
The right to avoid all public debate
The right to make the council adopt any proposal
The right to prevent other residents from speaking

3.Mark each statement True or False. A. The New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990 includes freedom of expression. B. A right to peaceful assembly means people can ignore everyone's safety. C. Active citizenship can include listening to people affected by a decision.

4.The group has one week before submissions close. Which first step is most likely to help it make a well-informed submission?

Check the council's submission process and gather views from people who use the pool
Post an unverified claim about the proposal and ask people to share it
Decide what all disabled people think without asking them
Tell residents with different views that they cannot take part

5.Name one concern raised by supporters of the accessibility changes and one concern raised by residents who are unsure about the plan.

6.Suggest one practical way the rangatahi could make it easier for people with different access needs to share their views.

7.Write a two-sentence message the group could include in its submission. Give a clear view about the proposal and support it with one reason from the case study.

8.What issue did the 1975 Māori Land March draw attention to, according to the Aotearoa context?

9.Why is it useful to hear from people who use the pool as well as residents concerned about costs before the council decides?

10.Choose one action from the case study that the rangatahi could take. Explain one way to keep that action respectful, accurate and safe.