Youth Patriotism Awards Citizenship Award SILVER (Youth 6-10)

Requirements: To earn the Youth Patriotism Award – Citizenship SILVER Medal a youth must complete ALL of the following: Meaning of Citizenship With your counselor’s help, look up citizenship in the dictionary. Afterwards, explain what citizenship means to you. Describe for your counselor how YOU think a youth (like you) can display citizenship. 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. Government List the three branches of the US government. What does each of the three branches do? 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? How many years are in a US Representative’s term? Create a collage or write a short story about US 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 Silver Medal 4 Silver Medal and 1 Silver star 8 Silver Medal and 2 Silver stars 13 Silver Medal and 3 Silver stars 18 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? With your counselor’s approval, interview three non-family members in your community and explore what citizenship means to them. Ask them what they think is special about this country and what they think is important to preserve. 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. Learn More: Using the internet (with parent or guardian’s permission), the library, or other resources, list the presidential cabinet positions. 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 things or places are on the back of $1, $2, $5, $10, $20, $50, and $100 bill. Choose one and talk with your counselor about why this object or place was included. 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. 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.