Youth Patriotism Awards Citizenship Award GOLD (Youth 11-18)

Requirements: To earn the Youth Patriotism Award � Citizenship GOLD Medal a youth must complete ALL of the following: Meaning of Citizenship List how you would define Citizenship. Once you have completed the list, look up citizenship in the dictionary. Compare the difference in your definition against the official definition. After reading the official definition, explain what differences you see in the meanings and how your meaning is important to you. Describe for your counselor how YOU think a youth (like you) can display citizenship. Speak to 3 other youths (under 18) and ask them to answer how they believe they can display citizenship. Compare their answers with your own and discuss with your counselor. Discuss with your family what citizenship means to them. Through your family or research, find out when your family came to the United States. The How of Citizenship Explain the ways a person becomes a citizen of the United States. . With your counselor�s help, find out what a person that immigrates (comes) to the United States has to do. How long must they live in the United States? Either by research or by talking to family members and your counselor, explain the rights, duties, and obligations of US Citizenship. Functioning Government List the three branches of the US government. What does each of the three branches do? How are citizens aided and/or impacted by each branch. Explain what the term �Checks and Balances� means in speaking about government. List the six functions of government as noted in the Preamble of the US Constitution. Discuss with your counselor how these functions affect your family and local community. Current Government Name the President of the United States. Name the Vice-President of the United States. Name the two US Senators from your state. Name the US Representative from your congressional district. Name the mayor of your town or of the town closest to your home. How many years are in a President�s term? How many terms can a President serve? How many years are in a US Senator�s term? Who is the longest serving US Senator? How many Senators are there? How many years are in a US Representative�s term? Who is the longest serving US Representative? How many Representatives are there? Elections Describe the Presidential election process. Explain the Electoral College. Discuss with your counselor why the founding fathers placed this system in place rather than national popular vote. Explain a Primary, Caucus, and the �Two Party� system. Write a short story or speech (500 words or more) that is focused on Citizenship.

Electives: In addition to the above Requirements, you must also complete some electives. These electives can come from any of the below. Electives from the following list only count once (even if you complete an elective multiple times). Once the number of electives needed for the medal is complete, your counselor can place an order for the medal. Completing additional electives enables you to earn Elective Stars that are placed on the ribbon of the medal. Award Number of Electives Needed Gold Medal 6 Gold Medal and 1 Gold star 12 Gold Medal and 2 Gold stars 18 Gold Medal and 3 Gold stars 24 Visit and Experience: Visit with a person that immigrated to the United States and became a citizen. Discuss with them what their citizenship means to them. Talk to a citizen of another country. Compare their feelings of citizenship to their home country with your own. How are they similar? How are they different? Attend a city or town council, school board meeting, or a municipal, county or state court session. Discuss with your counselor any one issue discussed at the meeting. What is your opinion? Go to the polls with a family member or guardian. Talk to them about their choices and what makes them decide on a candidate. Go to a parade. Discuss with your counselor what elements of citizenship you saw while there. Visit an immigration location. Speak to an officer or official that can explain what is performed at the location. Visit a historic location known for an act of citizenship. Discuss with your counselor what happened at the location. List what citizenship means to you. Talk to 5 adults (of varying ages � all at least 10 years older than you and at least one 40 years older than you) and write down what citizenship means to them. Talk with your counselor about how age and gender might affect the idea of citizenship. Ask each person when they or their family came to the US. Learn More: Using resources such as major daily newspapers, the Internet (with parent or guardian�s permission), and news magazines, find at least two opposing articles that talk about Patriotism and Citizenship. Explain the major points the articles are trying to convey. Discuss how opposing viewpoints could be reached from the articles. Using the internet (with parent or guardian�s permission), the library, or other resources, list the presidential cabinet positions. Explain what changes have occurred to the President�s Cabinet in the last 100 years and why the changes occurred. Using the internet (with parent or guardian�s permission), the library, or other resources, choose one of the Presidential cabinet members/positions. Describe to your counselor what that department/agency does. Using the internet (with parent or guardian�s permission), the library, or other resources, find out what person is on the $1, $2, $5, $10, $20, $50, and $100 bill. Using the internet (with parent or guardian�s permission), the library, or other resources, find out what the requirements are for a person to become President of the United States. Using the internet (with parent or guardian�s permission), the library, or other resources, find out what the requirements are for a person to become a US Senator. Using the internet (with parent or guardian�s permission), the library, or other resources, find out what the requirements are for a person to become a US Representative. Learn what is required to obtain a US Passport. Discuss with your counselor what a passport allows you to do. With your counselor�s approval, choose a speech of national importance speaking to citizenship. Find out about the author and the time/situation in which it was given. Explain the importance of the speech at the time it was given. Tell how it applies to all Americans. Describe what in the speech is significant to you and tell why. Research the �Rules of Succession� as it applies to the President of the United States. Discuss a time in the United State�s history when these rules were applied. Learn by Doing: Participate in an election. With the help of your counselor, decide on a national issue that you have an opinion. Write a letter to one of your national elected officials about that national issue. Show the letter to your counselor and any response you may receive. Choose an issue that is important to citizens of your community. Find out which branch of local government is responsible for the issue. Discuss how a citizen would get involved. Write a letter to your school or local newspaper about an issue that concerns you and/or your family. Take part in a parade. Talk with your parents/guardian about the last election in which they voted. What issues influenced their decisions? Create a poem about Citizenship. Develop a presentation of citizenship. This presentation can be a speech, video, display table, slide show, or photo exhibit). Give this presentation to a group of your peers. Gather their feedback on citizenship. Make a budget for you or help with your families budget planning. Compare the process to the Federal Budget activities. How is the process similar? Different? Discuss with your counselor how the Federal Budget process works. Examine a 1040, 1040A, and 1040EZ tax form. Discuss with your counselor how taxes are collected and used by the Federal government. List at least five services you and your family benefit from that are paid for by Federal taxes. Watch the �State of the Union� address. Discuss with your counselor the issues that were highlighted.