Our role as global citizens

Isabelle & Izzah
Marymount Convent School
Singapore

A global citizen is someone who is aware that all of us share one global home and recognises that we are all interdependent. Everything that we do can affect others, who are sharing the world with us. It is therefore important for us to join our hands together and make our home a better place for all to live in. You may ask how are we to achieve that? Well, we shall answer that question in the rest of our paper.

Firstly, let us start off by being thankful for what we have in our lives – our shelter, food and family. However, there are many others out there who are less fortunate than we are. These less fortunate people not only come from our immediate community, but also include those who are living in other parts of the world. Recognising that we live in the same global home means that we should also help those, who live far away from us, as well.

We can play our part as global citizens and help the less fortunate by donating items, such as clothes and food or money, to those who need to have their basic needs met. It is important to remember that, being a global citizen also means we help those in need, regardless of their race or nationality. We can look to Mother Teresa as our role model of a global citizen. She was the champion of all kindness. She helped the poor, the sickly and the ostracised, even if their religion and race was different from hers. We can also learn from Mother Teresa and take part in donation drives to help the needy. This may mean putting aside some of our pocket money to donate to those who need our help. We should also not carelessly throw items away. Items that are still in good shape can be donated. Through such actions, we hope to bring across the message that we are all neighbours and that we should take care of one another.

Being a global citizen also means that we share the Earth’s resources with others who live in the same global home as us. All of us have a responsibility to conserve resources that are quickly being depleted, so that future generations can use them. Recycling and reusing are some ways to do so. A simple way of reusing is to make sure that paper is used on both sides before recycling it. Have a recycling bin around to encourage people to recycle. These are just some simple ways to get started.

We should also not forget that we share this global home with the wild animals and plants. We often hear reports of illegal hunting that puts certain species of animals in danger of becoming extinct. We should put a stop to this and make an effort to conserve these endangered species instead. If we stop buying wild animal products and encourage others to do the same, the illegal hunting will stop as well.

In short, as global citizens, we can make a huge difference with our small contributions. It is not the amount of money or value of things that matter, but the sincerity of our hearts. All of us share one home. Let us cherish and protect it before it is too late.

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