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Taking Part in Community Life

Volunteering, school governance, jury service and small acts of citizenship that the handbook expects new citizens to embrace.

The handbook devotes a whole section to "Taking part in your community" because civic participation is treated as a core duty of every British citizen. Examples include volunteering for a charity, becoming a school governor or trustee, helping out at a local sports club, joining a residents' association, donating blood and looking after the local environment.

Further reading: an editorial guide on this topic opens in a new window for additional context.

Some duties are formal. Anyone aged 18 to 70 on the electoral register and not in an exempted profession can be summoned for jury service. You may also be called to be a witness, to register as an organ donor, or to stand for elected office at parish, district or county level.

The exam often shows you four options and asks which is an example of taking part in community life. Voting, volunteering, helping a neighbour and serving on a jury are all correct. Refusing to engage, or only acting in your own interest, is not.

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