ɐn ˈæktɪv sˈɪɾɪzən ɪz sˈʌmwʌn hˌuː tˈeɪks ɐ ɹˈoʊl ɪnðə kəmjˈuːnᵻɾi; ðə tˈɜːm hˈæzbiːn aɪdˈɛntᵻfˌaɪd wɪð vˌɑːləntˈɪɹɪŋ baɪ ɹˈaɪɾɚz sˈʌtʃ ɐz dʒˈɑːnəθən tˈɪʃ, hˌuː ɹˈoʊt ɪnðə hˈʌfɪŋtən pˈoʊst ɪn tˈuː θˈaʊzənd tˈɛn ˈædvəkˌeɪɾɪŋ ðæt bˈɪzi ɐmˈɛɹɪkənz ʃˌʊd tɹˈaɪ tə hˈɛlp ˈʌðɚz, pɚtˈɪkjʊlɚli baɪ ˈɔfɚɹɪŋ hˈaɪlˈɛvəl pɹəfˈɛʃənəl ˌɛkspɚtˈiːz ɪn sˈʌtʃ ˈɛɹiəz æz bˈæŋkɪŋ, ˌɛdʒuːkˈeɪʃən, ˌɛndʒɪnˈɪɹɪŋ, ænd tɛknˈɑːlədʒi tə hˈɛlp ðə lˈɛs fˈɔːɹtʃənət.
An active citizen is someone who takes a role in the community; the term has been identified with volunteering by writers such as Jonathan Tisch, who wrote in the Huffington Post in 2010 advocating that busy Americans should try to help others, particularly by offering high-level professional expertise in such areas as banking, education, engineering, and technology to help the less fortunate.