In June 2007, a group of educators from villages and towns including and surrounding Vidin, Bulgaria, Nish, Serbia and Cahul, Moldova gathered together to explore the concepts of democracy, social responsibility and citizen participation through an 8-day workshop conducted by the leaders of the Educational Society for Malopolska. Participants spent their time building their own unique village, a place where they collectively made decisions, built a sense of community and could live out their dreams. These comments reflect how the workshop participants view active citizenship in their own lives and communities.
An active citizen is one who is completely free, who is responsible, who is happy. (Bulgaria)
An active citizen is the informed one, the one who says what he wants freely, who has the right to vote. (Bulgaria)
An active citizen is one who takes part actively in community life. (Bulgaria)
I think that it isn't easy to be an active citizen. All of us have our own problems and nobody wants "to help" his own city (town). Of course, each who wants to help, first of all, has to be a part of an organization and to do only things that he wants to do. I think that is a key of success. Everyone who is responsible and feels free to express his opinion is welcome to join those organizations. (Serbia)
To take part in community life,To use his right and obligations,
To be informed,
Not to make someone change something for himself (not to be passive),
To do something to change his environment, to make life better, to helps friends and family live better, to have a job, to be educated, to do everything he can to make his life beautiful. (Serbia)
