Unit 4 - Being a Responsible Adult

Lesson 1 – What are the key qualities of a responsible adult?

Lesson 2 – What are the key differences between ‘Rights’ and ‘Obligations’.?

Lesson 3 – What is meant by the terms ‘Openness’ and ‘Social Inclusion’?

Lesson 4 – What does it mean to be a ‘Cultural Ambassador’?

Lesson 1 – What are the key qualities of a responsible adult?

The quality of personal power:

Personal power has a positive effect on all of us. It gives us the ability to consciously control the
environment around us, in a positive way, by helping us keep our thoughts and emotions in check. It
is a state of mind that is based on positive personal values, competencies, and being confident in
whom we want to be. This in turn leads us to be more generous, kind, creative, and humane in our
actions and deeds towards others. It is a way to empower ourselves and keep ourselves motivated
when faced with life’s hurdles, fears, frustrations, and disappointments.

Attributes of personal power:

Self-development – continuous monitoring and adapting outlooks and expectations of the world
around us to improve who we are and want to be.

Connections – building positive relationships that are enriching and not destructive.

Solutions not problems – No complaining, and instead focusing on solutions to the frustrations and
problems.

Time management – evaluating the best way to spend our time wisely by prioritising things and
activities in our lives.

Be responsible – accepting that there are consequences for our actions, whether positive or
negative. There is no shame in making mistakes or failing. Sometimes the best teachers in our daily
lives are our mistakes… they are great learning experiences that can help us understand what we can
do better the next time around.

Act humanely – including random acts of kindness in our lives, which can be as simple as holding
open a door for someone, acknowledging someone by saying ‘hello,’ or even a smile.
What are the key differences between ‘Right’ and ‘Obligations’?

What are Rights and Obligations?

Rights and Obligations are different from one another. It is true that both play an integral role in our
daily life, and both of them strengthen our social interactions and responsibilities. Rights are
privileges or liberties that are given and protected by law and stipulated in regulations. Obligations
are duties or responsibilities required by law that are stipulated mostly by virtue of morals and or
values. A responsible adult needs to be able to identify and distinguish between the two.

What are Rights?

A right is a privilege or a liberty to have or to do something. Rights allow an individual to understand

what is and what is not sanctioned and permissible. Rights are protected by the law, or a governing
body, through which they were granted. There are universal values and principles that are applicable
to everyone regardless of gender, status, cultural group, religious affiliation, or nationality.

What are Obligations?

An obligation is a moral, social, or legal responsibility to do something. Obligations exist in a variety

of ways, such as obligations to your family, community, religion, or uploading certain laws of a
country. As a responsible adult, you need recognise that in order to benefit from having rights, you
need to carry out your obligations to yourself and to others.

Key difference between Rights and Obligations

The most important distinction between a right and obligation is that right refer to something we
enjoy or gain. Rights are individual privileges. Obligations refer to what we are expected to do
morally, socially or legally. Obligations are our responsibilities and duties as members and citizens of
society.

Rights Obligations
Are claims to have or do something. Are moral, social, or legal duties to do
something.
Are for oneself. Are mostly for others.
Are what an individual receives from a society. Are what an individual does for a society.

Rights and obligations have a symbiotic relationship with one another.

Below are some examples of that relationship:

Asma has the right to privacy which it is the law’s responsibility to protect.

John has the right to healthy food at school. It is the school’s duty to provide John with healthy food
alternatives.

Mariam has the right to take photographs of the city. It is her obligation to make sure not to take
photographs of people or certain places without their permission.
What is meant by the terms ‘Openness’ and ‘Social inclusion’?

Responsible adults are open to new ideas and experiences. They are considerate of the differences of
others. They possess the willingness to share their knowledge or information with others. They are
open to receive and give positive, constructive criticism.

Open-mindedness is a person’s willingness to consider a new idea or perspective without bias or

judgement. An open-minded person is also an emotionally mature person. They possess a sense of
rational curiosity of how and why other people think, believe, or practice in a practical manner other
than their own.

Close-mindedness – It occurs when an individual is resistant or has a restricted mind-set that leads
them to be unwilling to consider that there may be an alternative way of behaving, thinking, or doing
things. This type of person is often referred to as a ‘close-minded’ individual. This kind of behaviour
can stem from fear, insecurity, or even a misguided sense of superiority.

Dealing with close-minded people – When you encounter a person who is close-minded, you may
discover it hard to interact with them. You consider their behaviour wrong, and that yours is right.
You began to see that the problem is with them and not you.

We must try to see the situation from the other person’s perspective, and from there we can
empathise with them. As we improve the ability to accept others for who they are, with compassion,
then the more open-minded we become, and the more likely we are to be able to forgive and
ultimately accept.

Social inclusion – ensuring that all individuals or groups of people, within a society or community,
feel important and valued.

Social exclusion – The unwillingness to include an individual or group within the society in which they
reside.

What does it mean to be a ‘cultural ambassador’?

Cultural ambassador – an individual, who though their actions or deeds, represents their culture or
society to those coming from another culture, cultural representative.

Cultural identity – An individual’s sense of belonging to a specific social group, culture, or society.

Being a cultural ambassador – A cultural ambassador or cultural representative is through your

actions and deeds that others will form a perspective, whether positive or negative, about you and
the culture you come from.

‘You get what you give’ is a popular saying, especially when dealing with others and this applies to
building bridges with different cultures as well. Be ambassadorial in the way you treat other cultures
or societies, and they will respond in kind. When you display a genuine interest in another person’s
culture, traditions, and customs most people will reciprocate.

Multicultural collaboration

Culture plays a central role not only in our community but on the global stage when individuals
collaborate, their values and beliefs may come into conflict with one another. The solution is the
concept of multicultural collaboration.

Why is multicultural collaboration important?

Being a cultural ambassador is important in the collaborative efforts that happen in a multicultural
setting. Whether the collective multicultural group is formed by schools, the community, or
organisations, there is usually a shared concern and a desire for common goal.

Unit 5 - Being a responsible adult (2)

What is the importance of ‘connectedness’?

Connectedness: an emotional connection or sense of belonging to a person, group, community, or

culture whether in the real world or a digital environment.

Social presence: The perceived notion of social awareness between two communicators in an
encounter using a communication medium.

Social awareness: The acknowledgement or recognition of the existence of another person or group.

Communication: individuals informing or acknowledging one another.

Conversation: individuals talking or sharing a dialogue with one another.

Collaboration: individuals co-creating together with one another.

Social connectedness: The way individuals come together and interact with one another in a social
setting whether in person or online.

Connecting through tradition or history: Many cultures and societies have a history of oral tradition.
Oral traditions, such as storytelling, gathered and connected people together in order to hear poems,
folklore, history. These are oral traditions in which the use of storytelling establishes a connection
between the storyteller and the listeners.

School connectedness: the belief held by students that school staff and classmates have a genuine
interest in them as individuals.

Connecting in the virtual world: In today’s world, we are more connected in the virtual world.

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