The Citizenship Foundation
The Citizenship Foundation is an Independent UK education and participation charity which is supported by the Law Society. It is a project where volunteers from law firms spend time with a group of school pupils discussing a range of legal issues and working through a series of activities on a chosen topic.
The aim of the initiative is to enable lawyers to work with young people to develop their awareness and understanding of the law primarily in economically disadvantaged areas. The lawyer will discuss a range of legal issues with students by working through a series of activities on a chosen topic. The lawyer takes on the role of facilitator and guides students through the activities, stimulating discussion of a variety of issues, such as police powers, employment law, discrimination and human rights.
The scheme aims to provide an opportunity to deliver the legal aspects of citizenship education in a unique, interactive and thought-provoking way. Citizenship has been part of the National Curriculum at KS3 and KS4 since 2002 in England and Wales. The Citizenship Foundation reports that students engage and respond well to those who practise law day -to –day.
In order to help young people interact in society in a meaningful way, the Foundation has produced a publication entitled ‘The Young Citizens Passport’ This is a handbook which provides young people between the age of 11-19 with a guide to their rights and responsibilities. It is divided into 13 chapters covering topics from drugs and the law, part time work, sport and driving. It is reader friendly and simply written making it accessible and informative. Foot Anstey has been involved with checking and updating the chapters on education and leisure. If you do not already have a copy in your school library we can recommend that you consider getting one or two.
We will keep you posted as the initiative progresses but if you have any queries please contact julia.green@footanstey.com for further information
