UNIT 1: THE WORLD AND OUR PLACE IN IT In this learning unit learners reflect on the role of passports and the benefits of holding one as a way of exploring what citizenship is and why is it significant. To better understand and empathise with the position stateless people have in society and some of the hardships they might face, learners are then asked to show their solidarity by writing a letter to a stateless child. 2.1 A: THE PASSPORT Citizenship is something you cannot see or touch, so it can be hard to understand or explain what it is. A passport makes citizenship tangible: it is a document given by countries to their citizens. It recognises citizens as a full members of the community who enjoy certain rights and responsibilities. However, not everyone is able to obtain a passport because not everyone has citizenship somewhere. Without any nationality, people who are stateless are unable to get a passport and face difficulties when it comes to accessing various services and travelling. The passport is an activity that urges learners to critically inquire into how passports transform the idea of citizenship to something tangible and enable people to enjoy their rights as citizens of a country and how stateless people lacking a nationality and thus a passport are excluded from enjoying such rights. 2.1 B: LETTER TO A STATELESS CHILD One way to better appreciate the value of citizenship and to understand how stateless children go through life is by writing a letter that builds a connection or opens a conversation around these issues. That way we can also let them know that they are not alone and that others care about the challenges that are affecting them. Letter to a stateless child is a creative writing project challenging participants to reflect on the importance of citizenship and understand the situation stateless people find themselves in. Drawing inspiration from what they have learnt about citizenship, rights and statelessness, participants are invited to write a letter to a stateless child. 31