Grade 7 Social Studies: Chapter 1: Empowerment AUTHORITY:_____________________________ Authority gives people power to affect the lives of others. 1

Authority: It may be given to you, or it may be LEGAL AUTHORITY (examples: _____________________________________ _______________________________________________ _______________________________________________ Even the government must follow rules. In Canada, the Constitution contains rules that government must follow and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms protects citizens from unfair treatment by government (p.6) Each province also has Human Rights Laws that must be followed by governments, businesses and private people. 2

Authority: As you get older, you will receive more power and authority over your life. But with this power comes responsibility. If you don’t make responsible decisions, you may lose power, authority, rights and freedoms. EXAMPLES: 1.________________________________________ __________________________________________ 2.________________________________________ _______________________________________ 3

EMPOWERMENT: _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ 4

5 AREAS OF EMPOWERMENT: 1. _____________ Empowerment 2. _____________ Empowerment 3. _____________ Empowerment 4. _____________ Empowerment 5. _____________ Empowerment 5

1.ECONOMIC Empowerment: Economics is the study of how people work to create wealth. Economic Empowerment is _______________________ _________________________________________________ People with less money may have fewer choices (less power) for things like food, shelter, clothing, and education. How can you become more economically empowered? (p.10) __________________________________________________ ______________________________________________ 6

2.POLITICAL Empowerment: Politics involves all the things societies do to organize themselves (eg. Government), settle disagreements and make decisions. Political Empowerment is _________________________ __________________________________________________ To become more politically empowered, you can: (p.11) Learn the issues and think about what’s best Vote for political leaders Work to convince others to do what you think is right. 7

3. CULTURAL Empowerment: Culture is a way of life – how you live (language, food, clothing, customs, beliefs…) Cultural Empowerment involves ____________________ _________________________________________________ To become culturally empowered: ________________________________ 8

4.SOCIETAL Empowerment: Society: people that live, work and interact together in communities. Societal empowerment comes from __________________________________________________ How can you become more societally empowered? (p.12) __________________________________________________ ______________________________________________ 9

5.NATIONAL Empowerment: Nation = country National Empowerment involves __________________________________________________ make its own laws control its natural resources make its own decisions (eg. go to war?) Empowerment is important for individuals, groups, and nations. 10

DISEMPOWERMENT People who are disempowered believe _____________ _________________________________________________ They often feel that laws and rules are unfair, and that they have no rights. This is not usually the case, though. Laws are much fairer today than they were in the past, but things are still nor perfect for everyone. 11

EXAMPLES OF PEOPLE WHO MAY BE DISEMPOWERED: 1.______________________________________________ 2.______________________________________________ 3.______________________________________________ 4.______________________________________________ 5.______________________________________________ 12