What is social and civic competence and why is its development important

What is social and civic competence and why is its development important
Know what you need to know about social and civic competence and why it is important and necessary to develop it.

The social and civic competences are understood as the ability to analyze the social context using knowledge so traveling through the whole society and from different aspects, to understand the phenomena and social problems and to generate responses through decisions on interaction with others and groups governed by rules.

It is part of the necessary training for a professional, in addition to the academic one, since without this type of competences; the application of knowledge would be inert or unconnected to the context that surrounds it.

For this reason, they are part of the basic disciplinary competences that are tried to inculcate from the first stages of educational training. In Argentina there are curricular spaces such as "Ethical and Citizenship Training", where these aspects of education are worked on, but they are intended to be part of all disciplinary areas, understanding that educating is not only instructing the student in knowledge, but also in the development of values.

The social and civic training seeks that the learner develops a knowledge of himself, and the context in which he lives, using critical interpretation and knowledge acquired through the social sciences. To establish a kind of order of skills to acquire we can list:

1. Knowing yourself about the social role and the context, knowing and collaborating in groups such as the family, the school, your city, your country.    

2. Analyze the society in which he lives, from the historical, geographical and social conformation aspects.    

3. To know the forms of contribution and of valuation to the cultural plurality, of a sustainable way and that it helps its constant improvement.    

4. Training in human rights, as a tool for the assessment and judgment of personal and social situations, and for the knowledge of citizen rights and obligations.    

5. Be aware of current and historical conflicts to develop diplomatic skills and peaceful solutions to problems between social groups.

6. Obtain the necessary resources to be an active part of the place and context where you live, including all physical, cultural and social aspects.   

At the same time, we can mark a differentiation between the knowledge, skills and attitudes that are defined as social competences and those that are included within civic competences:

The social competence is related to the development of awareness of physical and mental health and healthy life, both individual and group of the immediate environment. It is also the search for correct moral growth in relation to interpersonal relationships, with aspects such as interculturality, the relationship between genders, identities, tolerance and positive and constructive communication. As a last aspect to be highlighted, and not least, work is done on the attitudes and values that contribute to the socio-economic development of the whole society, involving interculturality and respect for difference.

The Civic competence is the way of nominating the knowledge of concepts that make the balance of the social structure. Among them, citizenship, human rights, justice, democracy, and others. Without being part of the current historical context and past events, to understand social and cultural processes. It points to the correct use and respect for human rights and the will to participate democratically.

The relationship between both competences and the achievement of them, responds to the search to guide people towards respectful action in the social environment in which they are immersed, forming an active part and working towards the positive transformation and solution of own conflicts of interculturality and lack of communication.

Arriving at the end of this article, from Universe, we hope we have helped you to understand what social and civic competence is and why its constant development is important, from the initial academic ages, to the professional work environment.