Jayne Dowle: Why I'd vote for children to have lessons in citizenship

This is a huge missed opportunity. Citizenship lessons became

compulsory for pupils aged 11 to 16 in 2002, but inspectors say that only a minority of schools teach the subject with any enthusiasm – their word, not mine. Now, I'm the first to complain when the curriculum throws up some mad idea which is going to waste everybody's time. But learning how to be a good citizen should be at the heart of any child's education.

The current citizenship syllabus covers issues such as human rights, fair trade, the media and local government. Taught with imagination and inspiration, this could become an engaging subject, the kind of lesson that kids look forward to. In all but a few of our schools, it

obviously isn't. I suspect that it was drawn up with more than a nod to political correctness, and that might be one of the reasons why it's not working.

Human rights are important, but I doubt many teenagers need too many extra lessons in them. Even my seven-year-old tells me he "knows his rights" if I threaten an early bed-time or withdraw Nintendo privileges.

Show children the consequences of climate change on populations, and how unfair working practices mean that millions of people across the world live in abject poverty. Teach them how to respect themselves and others. And even, as primary schools are advised, teach them to respect the feelings of mini-beasts. Think twice before you stamp on those worms, kids.

But we should concentrate on taking citizenship out of the classroom. Make it about actually doing something and you could get kids really excited. If someone gave me a blank piece of paper and said "draw up a curriculum", I'd start with getting young people involved in their local community.

Only this week, the Communities Secretary John Denham announced that he was investing 20m to expand a scheme which encourages local

authorities to "reinvigorate and connect" with areas particularly affected by the recession.

It is a positive idea, but all too often, these schemes falter because they simply can't get enough individuals on board.

Political and social apathy is to blame. For many people, the idea of doing something to make a difference is totally alien. But imagine how different it could be if we taught our children to take part from an early age?

If they actively participated in volunteer schemes, drew up their own ideas, learned how to organise and sought funding for projects, from tree-planting to talent contests, then the idea that they have

something to offer would be embedded.

It could, potentially, help those disenfranchised from society to learn how to value themselves away from the destructive forces of the home environment.

I remember, for instance, an excellent allotment project on a tough council estate in Barnsley which saw young lads growing their own food, developing teamwork, healthy eating and technical skills. And for those youngsters tempted by the fringes of political extremism, learning first-hand about how communities work and fit together would be a valuable lesson indeed.

There is already scope in the curriculum to study local government, but it takes a very skilful teacher to bring it alive. However, local politics affects us all, whatever our age. However apathetic we might be, we've all got something to say about buses not turning up or shops closing down in our town centres.

A lot of the frustration people feel towards local democracy has its roots in a lack of understanding about how the system works. Would your teenager know how to contact a councillor, and what kind of problems they might be able to help with? If they picked up a bit of basic knowledge, it could give them the power to make a difference.

Some critics of citizenship provision say that teachers are afraid of inciting fierce debate in the classroom, so they shy away from trickier political issues. But I know, because I teach first-year university students, that young people are desperate to debate and to have their opinions taken seriously. And you never know, decent citizenship

lessons might even encourage them to vote.

It is notoriously difficult to measure the long-term impact of such subjects. But a higher turn-out at local and general elections would be serious evidence of progress. And there is no better lesson to be learned about being a good citizen than participating in the democratic process.