Promoting citizenship through the recognition of a minority community

Abstract

In this paper we propose to discuss the opportunities presented by the current revision of the Northern Ireland curriculum to raise awareness of one aspect of cultural heritage which may contribute to promoting a more positive and less confrontational sense of citizenship. By replacing the current content-driven curriculum with an emphasis on skill development, individual schools and perhaps even individual teachers are being given the opportunity to employ a wide range of teaching resources. This opens up the possibility of using materials which can encourage awareness of a minority community – its language, history and culture –which has the potential to promote a better awareness of our shared cultural heritage, greater mutual understanding and to increase a sense of belonging and ownership which is essential for citizenship.