Empowerment….

What does it mean to be

 Personal empowerment comes from having the ability to do something about your needs, wants, opinions, beliefs and feelings.

How to build personal empowerment: oVolunteer oWork oKnow where to go for help oMake friends oBe proud of your heritage oKnow your rights and responsibilities oLearn all you can

Throughout the year you will learn about five types of empowerment……

 Economic empowerment comes from having enough wealth to take care of your needs. In Canada wealth is most often distributed through a system in which people work to earn money.

 Political Empowerment comes form having a say in how things are organized and how decisions are made.  To become politically empowered in any situation, you need to learn as much as you can about the issues, think for yourself about what you consider to be the best decision, and work to convince others to do what you think is right.

 Culture is a way of life. It is made up of things such as language, food, clothing, as well as important ideas such as spiritual beliefs.  Cultural empowerment comes from being free to practise your own culture.

 Society involves everything people do when they live, work and play together in communities.  To make sure we have a fair society, it is important for people in authority to use their power wisely. It is also important for people to speak up if they think something unfair has happened.

 Nation is another word for country.  National empowerment comes from a nation having power to make decisions for itself.  Nations have a lot of power, so it is important for them to use their power in responsible ways.

What does this graphic represent?

Assignmnment  Changing Your World – Investigating Empowerment  Name: ___________________ Date: __________  Empowerment means to have the power and authority to make and carry through on decisions that will affect your lives.  The 5 types of Empowerment are:

Examples  Economic:  Getting a job  Saving for your education  Opening a bank account  Spending your allowance

National:  Go to a Canada Day Festival  Attending a Remembrance Day ceremony  Being proud of your country while standing for O Canada

Societal  Whether or not to litter  Supporting global warming groups  Choosing to compost and recycle  Participating in the Terry Fox walk/run

Cultural  Respecting other’s culture  Respecting other’s religions  Respecting how other’s dress

Political  Taking the time to vote  Understanding government and how it works  Joining student council in High School

Homework:  Create a title page for your Social Studies notebook.  Include the title at the top of the page, ‘Introduction to Empowerment’ in large colourful letters.  Place your name and class on the bottom right hand corner  Draw and illustrate a picture to represent each type of empowerment. Label the pictures the type of empowerment they represent.