There are countless reasons a person may have for becoming a citizen of another country: love, work, lifestyle change. But no matter what attracts you inside another country’s borders there are a select few ways to become a citizen of this new place. Understand the laws and requirements asked of you and you will be on your way.

How to Become a Citizen in Another Country

Step 1
Acquire a job and become fluent in the country’s language. While this is not a requirement in all cases for becoming a citizen, it will reflect highly upon you as an applicant. It shows the application committee that you are serious and passionate about joining this country.

Step 2
Prepare to lose your current citizenship. While some countries offer dual citizenship programs, there are many that will require you to renounce your citizenship in order to join their ranks. Consider the implications this has and determine whether it is the right choice for you.

Step 3
Become a resident, if you wish to apply for citizenship. The most common way for a foreigner to become a citizen is to have a proven track record of working and contributing to society. Time limits vary anywhere from two years to ten years required living time.

Step 4
Marry a citizen, and in most countries you will be granted citizenship. This is considered the easiest way to become a citizen of a country that honors this system. In many cases there is some simple monitoring and validation of the relationship required.

Step 5
Claim that you were born in a country or in a country’s territories and in most cases you will be granted citizenship. Many countries honor those born within their borders with citizenship, even if it has been several years since your birth. Certain documents will be necessary to prove the place of your birth.

As a Citizen….

Washoe County values our citizen involvement and input process.

Participating can be as simple as voting at an election, but you can take a more active role in shaping Washoe County government, policies, programs and decisions by participating in the day-to-day process of local government.

• Volunteer for one of the many County advisory boards that make recommendations to the Board of County Commissioners and County departments.
• Have an influence regarding decision making when it comes to adopting laws, the budget, or regional planning in your Washoe County community.
• Become a member of one of the 16 Citizen Advisory Board members in your neighborhood.
• Volunteer in one of the many departments that pique your interest such as Parks, Senior Services, Libraries and more…

Citizen involvement is a partnership between local government and our community. When citizens are actively involved in their government, decisions can better reflect the needs of the community. We want and welcome your involvement.

Citizen journalism refers to people who often do not have any real training in journalism reporting news or commenting on current events. With the advent of the internet, average people gained a powerful voice that was once only available to professional journalists. People misunderstand much about the concept and practice of citizen journalism. The following 7 myths and facts about citizen journalism will help to reveal the truth of this form of journalism.

Citizen Journalism Is Almost Always Unreliable

Sometimes it is and sometimes it isn’t. Even professional journalists are not always right so the reliability of citizen journalism must be evaluated on a case by case basis. While you may believe that citizen journalism is more likely to be unreliable, the scope of this form of journalism makes it difficult to track.

Only Trained Journalists Create Citizen Journalism

This is not true and is only believed by those who do not understand what citizen journalism is. Actually, citizen journalism is largely created by individuals who are not trained in journalistic pursuits. Journalism does not always require formal education.

Only Non-Trained Journalists Create Citizen Journalism

This is not true either. While non-professionals may be thought to produce the bulk of citizen journalism, professionally trained journalists can still write blogs apart from formal publications. These writings can fall into the category of citizen journalism too.

Citizen Journalism Is Always Text

In truth, citizen journalism is a term that includes photos and videos as well as the written word. Journalism can take on many forms and citizen journalism is no different.

Citizen Journalism Detracts From Professional Journalism

You might think that with anyone being able to post thoughts, opinions, and their own version of the facts that this would obscure the truth. In some cases, this is true. However, this medium also allows average individuals to question the veracity of professional publications. With an untold number of individuals double-checking the facts of every published article, professional journalists must work even harder to be unbiased and get their facts straight. Citizen journalism can improve professional journalism in this way.

Blogs Do Not Count As Citizen Journalism

This is a huge myth. Blogs comprise a large portion of what is considered citizen journalism. Blogs, along with message boards and other online forums, are among the primary ways that average individuals who may or may not have any training in journalism can share their perspectives and ideas.

Citizen Journalism Possesses More Bias Than Professional Journalism

This is another one of those myths that is difficult to track. Many would assert that mainstream media is incredibly biased in one direction or another. Attempting to compare the level of bias of more mainstream forms of journalistic expression as compared to the expansive field of citizen journalism is a gargantuan task.
Professional journalism can be biased and citizen journalism can be objective or vice versa. Works must be evaluated on their own merits and not according to which category they fall into. These myths and facts about citizen journalism cover a wide expanse of journalistic expressions that are, at the very least, difficult to categorize.

A naturalized citizen is a foreign national who is granted citizenship in the United States after fulfilling certain requirements. In addition to the United States, many other nations offer naturalization to people who wish to apply for citizenship. The naturalization laws for various countries are typically available through their departments of immigration.
There are two basic categories of United States citizens. A natural citizen is someone born in the United States or born to American parents on foreign soil. A naturalized citizen is someone who was born in a foreign country, but took a series of steps with the end goal of being granted citizenship.
In the United States, you can become a naturalized citizen if you have been a legal resident of the United States for at least five years and you are over the age of 18. In addition, applicants for naturalization must demonstrate “good moral character,” as well as knowledge of the English language and the history of the United States. The citizenship application process can take anywhere from six months to two years, and once approved, a naturalized citizen has all of the rights and responsibilities of a United States citizen, although he or she is barred from serving in the offices of President and Vice President.
Someone who has been a legal resident of the United States for at least five years and wishes to become a naturalized citizen must first file an application for naturalization with the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS). After the application is filed, the applicant will be asked to attend an interview and take a citizenship test. The citizenship test includes questions which test the applicant’s knowledge of English, American government, and American history.
If the application is approved, the applicant is asked to take an oath to the United States, during which he or she denounces allegiance to other parties and states. However, the United States does recognize dual citizenship as a basic human right, and therefore people are not asked to give up citizenship in their native country, although they may be encouraged to do so. Once the oath is taken, the new citizen is granted the right to vote, run for public office, and to participate in American society as a full citizen; he or she also enjoys the same rights and protections that other US citizens receive overseas.
An exception to this lengthy process is foreign adoptions. Since foreign adoptions have become very popular in the United States, the INS recognizes such children as full citizens as soon as they are granted permanent residency in the United States. Adoption agencies typically assist parents with this process to make it quick and painless.

Human beings are used to living under laws and patterns that are dictated to us by society, but following those patterns does not make us good citizens. To be a good citizen first you have to be a good person. By that I mean that you have to be full of values, principles, ethics, etc. When joining all these aspects together you will find out that there is nothing else to be needed.

One important aspect for being a good citizen is to help people. All around us, we can see there are always people in need for our help. Our job as good citizens is to help those kinds of people. When talking about the people that need our help, I am not only talking about the poor ones, but also the pregnant woman who cannot carry a heavy package or the old man that cannot cross the street. Remember that little actions make the difference.

Another important thing we have to remember for being a good citizen is to have an active participation in our community. There are a lot of ways we can do that. When elections come for voting for the governor, we have to be in the line ready to give our vote. When there is a gathering of our neighborhood for deciding about the maintenance of the streets, we have to be there to tell our point of view.

The last recommendation for being a good citizen is the respect toward the people that live around us. We have to remember that as we have rights, they have them too. Respect is one of the most important bases when living in a society. We all have freedom, but it is restricted to certain point. We cannot consider a killer or thief good citizens as they have violated that restriction.

Through this essay, there have been exposed some ideas of what I think are the most important aspects for being good citizens inside a community. Now-a-days the relationships between people have been really deteriorated by misunderstandings that are generated day by day. To avoid having to deal with these kinds of situations, we have to be aware that the solution is in us. Values and ethics should be inculcated to people as they mature, as that kind of information will built them for being good citizens.

As a citizen journalist you’re essentially an independent operator, free of the constraints and bureaucracy of a professional newsroom. But working on your own can make it difficult to gauge whether you’re really doing the best work possible. Here are some tips to help ensure you’re not just a citizen journalist, but a good citizen journalist.

1. Follow a Code of Conduct

If you wanted be respected as a journalist, you need to conduct yourself in a professional manner when covering stories. Always be upfront with people about the fact that you’re a reporter, and be courteous. Keep your opinions to yourself. And don’t take bribes.

2. Be a Thorough Reporter

Journalism starts with reporting, not writing. A lot of legwork is necessary to produce solidly reported stories. Gather as much information as you can about your story, and then some. Double-check everything. Get all sides of the issue. Think of the questions readers will have about your story, then see if you’ve answered them. If not, keep working.

3. Be Objective and Fair

Anyone can vent their opinions. It takes real professionalism as a journalist to keep your own views out of the story, and to be fair, even to people with whom you disagree. Remember, a news story isn’t about what the reporter thinks – it’s about what the people involved in the story have to say. And when you start to write your story, resist the urge to editorialize.

4. Avoid Libel

The United States has the freest press in the world, but with that freedom comes responsibility. Every reporter, citizen or otherwise, needs to understand the basics of libel law, and how to avoid producing stories that are libelous. It all starts with good, solid reporting, and finding the facts.

5. Avoid Plagiarism

With all the resources of the internet at your fingertips, it’s tempting to take others’ work and use it as your own. But that’s a temptation any reporter with integrity has to avoid. Do your own reporting, and when you need to use information from other news sources, be sure to credit it to its source. In the end, what you’ll find that is that it’s much more satisfying to dig up your own stories than to crib the work of others.

6. Learn the Newswriting Format

You can gather terrific, compelling information, but if you don’t present it in a way that makes it easy for your audience to digest, your work will be for nothing. So use the the inverted pyramid format for your hard news stories. It works because it stresses putting the most important information at the top of the news story. Readers with limited time will appreciate being able to get the gist of your story in the very first paragraph.

7. Learn Associated Press Style

Associated Press style is the gold standard usage for print journalism. Learn it – and use it- to give your stories that extra bit of professional polish that will get attention. Get into the habit of checking your stylebook whenever you write a story, and pretty soon you’ll start to memorize some of the most common style points.

8. Find a Mentor

Working on your own can make it difficult to tell whether you’re producing good work or not. So why not seek advice and input from a professional journalist? Call your local newspaper, TV station or website and see if you can arrange a meeting with a reporter, editor or producer. Explain what you’re doing and see if they have suggestions to offer. Or read profiles and articles about professional journalists on this website. Taking tips from the pros can only help your own work.

9. Get Feedback

In the end, the best way to know if you’re producing interesting, well-reported stories is to see what others think. You can get this kind of feedback by showing your stories to friends or family, by seeking comments on the website or blog where you post your stories, or from journalism forums like the one on this site. Or check your local college or university to see if they have a journalism professor you can show your work to. And remember, praise is great, but criticism – especially the constructive kind – usually teaches us more.

There is something wrong in how some in journalism currently view the profession. Thousands of professional journalists are out of work. More join the unemployment lines every day. Yet, I see many in journalism moving steadily toward using citizen journalism as if it is the answer to the future of our profession. For starters, citizen journalists will not save journalism. I can understand startups on the Web wanting to change how journalism works. The desire to succeed in a new world is intense. Because of the economy and the changes in journalism, there is no guarantee anything on the Web will succeed. Threats from outside the profession are expected. However, it is the establishment which has me worried. It is one thing to face intimidation from within. It is another when journalism turns on its own and starts to eat itself.

As professional journalists, we have a growing problem with the recent emphasis on citizen journalism as advocated by a diverse group of organizations. One is The Huffington Post, a danger to the profession in its pursuit to make over journalism to fit its own philosophy of paying its contributors nothing. Free is good except if you have to earn a living. Along with its professional contributors, The Huffington Post has what it calls “Our Citizen Journalism Project.” The site thinks that using ordinary citizens to collect news is good for journalism. I do not. For more of what The Huffington Post is trying to do, go to the article in question. Judge for yourself.

Knight Digital Media Center at the University of Southern California takes a view that is unexpected because its stand on the state of journalism is usually high-toned. In some ways, this is more troubling than what The Huffington Post is doing. With its latest set of what it calls “Five Tips for Training Citizen Journalists,” Knight has the audacity to present the world with a plan to make citizen journalists into what it assumes will be the real thing. Training amateurs to become professional journalists is not the answer for the future. See it under the heading of “Five Tips for Training Citizen Journalists.”

I am not done. Recently it got worse. The New York Times says, “YouTube has signed NPR, Politico, The Huffington Post and the San Francisco Chronicle for YouTube Direct, a new way to manage open submissions from readers.” By going with YouTube, a media company, if it wants, can make use of clips from anyone who chooses to post on the massive, unwieldy site. Google, who we should not forget owns YouTube, hopes that this way it can foster the use of citizen “reporters” by making what they write and shoot on video and with stills more widely available. It is obviously Google’s way of saying to everyone in media that we are your friend, not your enemy, but you make the final choice of what you use or not. Yes, a publication interested in a story has the right to reject anything that comes its way. I worry about inevitable slippage and the loss of power held by gatekeepers as they rush to judgment in the Wild West of the Internet. Editors are human. They can get sloppy in the pursuit of the now over the thoughtful especially if pushed by their bosses. Shortly, I discuss the danger we face if gatekeepers lose their say in helping organize news. One more note. Just because you invite users to participate, as NPR plans on a science project, it does not mean these folks are automatically journalists. I hope that NPR intends to post what it gets after careful vetting. Unless it and any other participant in this new venture post with the necessary intrusion of editing, this whole thing strikes me as pandering of the worst sort to the populace. We now await the false, the fabricated and the tainted to roil small screens everywhere. Professionals and readers better duck for cover in anticipated doom by this latest attack of the amateur in the guise of saving money at the expense of quality.

I think it was new-media critic Dan Gillmor who coined the phrase “almost journalist.” If he did, we should raise a loud cheer. Gillmor clearly defines what others have been designating as journalists who, for me, are citizens first and journalists second. No matter what the amateurs among us contend it does take training, guidance and experience to qualify as a working journalist. That does not happen overnight. Not everyone who tries succeeds. I prefer to call those who think they are citizen journalists “accidental journalists,” especially those who are faux photojournalists because they happen to get a useful photo by being in the right place at the right time. Apologists for citizen journalists should think twice before anointing them the rescuers of mainstream media. Most who aspire to be journalists are untrained. They work by the seat of their pants, usually with nary a day in the field, never having covered a breaking story.

The gathering and presentation of news cannot live on desire alone. It cannot go forward without money and lots of it. It takes time and dedication to keep people informed. Journalists need training to succeed. Without training, and the high standards that training brings, something that the supporters of citizen journalism decry as hoary, there would be no journalism at all. In the end, someone has to pay the professionals for the work they do. Covering the garden club for the local weekly newspaper hardly qualifies that person as a journalist. Once we train citizen journalists in the mysteries of the craft, are they members of the club? Do they want to be in the club or do they relish their outsider status?

For all the hype, using citizen journalists is an excuse by the bean counters at publications to lower costs. By putting costs over content, the accountants lower standards. This saves an enormous amount of money it would have to spend on those who normally collect news. In reality, accountants really do not know better. In some ways, they are not to blame. In my experience, accountants and business managers never understood what we went through to get a story on TV. To expect an accountant to know and appreciate what a field producer does, what a one-man band or a two-person crew does, what the editor does, what the host of other people do to get a story on the air is too much to ask.

Photographers are especially hard hit because editors, and I use this word loosely, seem to think that anyone with a camera can give them what the trained professional with years of experience and sacrifice almost guarantees every time he or she covers a story. Given an inch, those who control the money will take a mile. That makes it doubly hard to produce news that is fit to print.

Gatekeepers in journalism are also under attack by those who have nothing to do with journalism. These people believe they are capable of deciding what is news. The gatekeeper’s job is to impose standards that make for good journalism. I know that many who attack the mainstream scoff at the gatekeeper concept. They believe that good, accurate and true journalism will find its own level without interference. Those people live in a dream world. Gatekeepers are our many valued editors. They do not always succeed. They do not always satisfy everyone they edit. This does not mean we should eliminate them. They serve an important function of holding up a stop sign when needed. They ask questions. They get answers. They often make the unreadable readable. Newspapers, broadcasting and all mainstream media must reach into the soul of the reader or viewer if they want to be successful. Mainstream media must do this with strong storytelling that is not overly long, that is pithy, but uncompromising in detail and depth. These methods will work equally well with new media. That is a tall order, but it should be one all journalists aspire to. Today the audience is often outraged about the media and what it thinks mainstream stands for. Mainstream media has its faults, especially that it has in the past distanced itself from its readers. If we are not careful, age-old standards that still apply will be lost forever. Citizen journalists, though not my answer to the future, but eager to fill the gap, will jump in. The template for news will change for the worse. The idea that citizen journalists can provide accountability in reporting is farfetched.

The opportunity is now for a period of adjustment, not a fundamental change. It is very easy to tar everything with the same brush and equally easy to whitewash every fault. It is more difficult to make what we have work within an existing framework that has some give.

With this in mind, these newfangled pseudo-journalists with the lofty appellation of “citizen” attached to his or her name will surely start believing, if they do not already, that they are above the time-tested values that govern real journalism. Yes, there are values and there are methods that exist despite what some uneducated and self-centered bloggers may think. Do not be fooled by the occasional success of a citizen journalist. Everyone gets lucky now and then. If there were more successes there would be louder trumpeting by its proponents.

If we turn to the uneducated and the wannabes for the future of journalism, journalism is in even greater a crisis than I now imagine. Before we throw the professionals overboard, let us first find ways to put out-of-work journalists, and those with not enough work, back in the harness. It is important that we defeat what appears to be a land grab by citizen journalists and blind accountants, or what they really are: untutored amateurs, the almost journalists of our modern age. And, by the way, just when we really need the professionals to help us understand the world we inhabit.

Citizen journalism is a concept that advances the idea those consumers or everyday citizens take a more active role in the news. It is often referred to as the “new media” and includes everything from passionate letters to the editor and comments on blogs and news sites, to bloggers scooping stories or exposing doctored or omitted facts from mainstream media reports. Citizen journalism also points out bias by particular reporters or news outlets and attempts to give voice to the both sides on hot button issues.

Sometimes called grassroots journalism, citizen journalism is seen by some news outlets as a threat to journalistic integrity. Citizen journalists, however, believe that their methods hold news organizations to higher standards. While news organizations don’t really have a problem with citizen journalism when it’s a case of citizens bringing in useful footage they’ve personally captured, some may not always appreciate citizens offering a viewpoint.

Citizen journalism has been responsible for pictures and footage of things like celebrities or police officers behaving badly and crimes in progress. Citizens have also captured severe weather such as tornadoes and effects of hurricanes. The Kennedy assassination was captured on may personal movie cameras and still cameras, and since that time terrorist attacks, bombings, and accidents have also been covered via citizen journalism as well.

Some journalists seem to feel threatened by citizen journalists, who have had no instruction in journalism and may not check facts. Many journalists have spent a lifetime, learning, working, and perfecting their craft. Critics of mainstream media outlets say that people are tired of slant, spin, and feeling like they’re being led in a particular direction by some news outlets. Instead, they say, the public wants to be given cold, hard facts and be allowed to make up their own minds. Citizen journalism offers another option.

There are also some news outlets that appreciate citizen journalism. User generated content can be a great resource for building website traffic. These outlets enjoy hearing from citizens and allow comments on their websites, letters to editors, and op eds. They encourage citizens to provide tips and footage. Sometimes, they even consult with citizens on stories, which is known as participatory journalism.

Poll your kids on whether to have pizza or Veggie Delight for dinner, and you’ll likely sees a swift show of hands. Kids are capable of weighing in on much meatier matters, though. By encouraging children to be good citizens now, many people believe these young students are more likely to grow into adult voters. And not just warm bodies at the polls, but informed, engaged voters. In other words, good citizens.

To raise a good citizen of your own, try these ideas:

Bring democracy to your dining room table. Illustrate the power of voting by asking younger kids, “Have you and your friends ever had to make a decision about something that was hard to agree on? Well, voting is a fair way to make decisions.” Then take a vote on something – like what activity to do next.

Engage older kids in political debate by talking about issues that interest them – like making college more affordable, raising the minimum wage, or lowering the legal voting age. Then help them turn passion into action by writing a letter to the editor or volunteering for a campaign.

Make community service a must. You don’t have to save snow leopards in Nepal to show your children the value of giving back. Doing good in your own backyard fosters civic engagement, not to mention a deeper sense of connection to the community. Volunteer to stock shelves at a soup kitchen or clean up a local river.

Whet their civic appetites by giving kids the vote. If you don’t already have a Kids Voting program in your community, consider starting one. You need a public school population of at least 50,000 and a handful of volunteers to get started.

Stock your library with civic-minded reads. For grades K-2, try Being a Good Citizen (Way to Be!) by Mary Small. The book explains that by picking up trash or planting flowers, you’re being a good citizen. For grades 5-8, the ABC book D is for Democracy walks kids through concepts like immigration, taxation, and even zeitgeist.

Both drive home the fact that being a good citizen isn’t just about rights. It’s also about responsibilities.

Well, you made it. You’re finally retired. Now, it’s time for you to kick back and relax but for a growing number of seniors this calmer lifestyle may not be your cup of tea.

As more people are retiring early and living longer and healthier lives, they may get restless. They may want to find something fulfilling to do, long for something fun to do which allows them to meet other people or just simply want to stay active in their community. For many of these senior citizens, volunteering is the perfect fit.

Volunteering can take up many forms and can be as active or passive as an individual may want. Volunteering is simply action taken by people who care reaching out to help others in need or to solve a community problem. For the majority of people who volunteer, these actions come out of a sense of responsibility of caring for or helping other people and can provide a great deal of fulfillment. According to information available on the American Association of Retired Persons (www.aarp.org) website, about 44 percent of all people age 55 and older volunteer at least once a year. The information was compiled through a Gallup Organization study conducted for Independent Sector Survey and determined that volunteers give an average of 4.4 hours of service per week to the causes they support. This translates into about 5.5 billion hours of volunteer service contributed by the senior population each year, which is a significant amount. These services are estimated to be valued at more than $70.5 billion.

The desire to serve and help others is one major reason people volunteer and it can be rewarding to those who provide that service but volunteers can benefit other ways as well. Volunteering is a way for seniors to exercise the skills and talents that they have garnered through a lifetime of experiences. It’s also a chance for people to learn new skills. It can provide possibilities for a new career and a way to build new confidence and, for some, a chance to fulfill longtime dreams and ambitions. It’s also a way to improve morale and attitude because while helping others, people can forget their own worries and simply feel good about what they are doing. Actually, research has indicated that volunteer service can help improve life expectancy by fostering better psychological and physical well-being.

AARP has a great deal of information about volunteering and how seniors can get involved. Those interested can go out to provide the service to individuals or communities in need by working one-on-one with people, provide “behind the scenes” assistance such as clerical work or even help without leaving home by providing help on the computer. People can provide clerical assistance or provide expertise to an organization via e-mail. There are opportunities available for whatever many levels of interest and it’s just a matter of finding the right fit.