Global Citizenship Resources

There is no subject today that does not have a global dimension. — Vivien Stewart

“Developing global competency” by “respecting and valuing diversity” thus “recognising our shared responsibility” and “interconnectedness” are only a few, but crucial, expressions which are being used to develop a  “definition” and arrive to a common understanding of global citizenship.

Perhaps one of the most powerful, general “definitions” come from Hannah Arendt, who captures this in the following sentence: “An ethic of care for the world.” The idea of amor mundi, love of the world, is a powerful notion, which puts global citizenship into context and encourages the practice of collaborative care for the world and its inhabitants. 

For the  global online community of Jesuit and Ignatian educators, from 83 different countries around the world, Educate Magis offers the opportunity to become global companions, to share, learn and collaborate without boundaries. This autumn we would like to highlight this global experience. Together, as a global community we would like to learn more about Global Citizenship and how we can teach this in our schools.  

“Advancing such [global citizenship] education requires a well-designed curriculum and built-in support for educators to develop global competency themselves. This effort should embrace professional-development opportunities, along with the guidance of strong school and district leadership.” – writes Fernando M. Reimers in Education Week, Director of the Global Education Innovation Initiative and the International Education Policy Program at Harvard University.

Vivien-Stewart-global-classroom1But what does this mean for Jesuit Schools and Educational Projects around the globe?  It is essential to gain an insight into and understanding of this crucial theme allowing us to work together better as a global education community.

There is an ongoing conversation on this topic on Educate Magis: How would you define Global Citizenship? which shows different perspectives from around the world. Join the conversation and share your own perspective! We would love to hear more voices!

We collected a few resources both from the Jesuit education world and other global forums, which is in no way definitive and are aiming to grow this list with your help:

Resources on Educate Magis:

Videos and Keynotes:

Documents and blogs:

Projects:

Other resources and articles:

  • Teach UNICEF – Offers a collection of Lesson Plans, Activities and Videos for different grade levels (available in English and Spanish)
  • Edutopia – The “five-minute film festival” gives ideas on how to teach global citizenship through video.  
  • Oxfam Education – Takes a whole school approach to global citizenship. Resources include: activities including curriculum development, CPD, and assemblies, which can be used together to help implement the shared vision of your school.
  • An influential TED Talk by Hugh Evans, who started a movement that mobilizes “global citizens”.
  • IDEAS (International Development Education Association Scotland) offers news and information about projects, activities and the wider policy context for global citizenship education.
  • Turning Students Into Global Citizens”  – Education Week Article by Prof. Fernando M. Reimers
  • Educating the Whole Child for the XXI Century – A very comprehensive video summarizing the research of Prof. Fernando M. Reimers of Harvard University on the importance of Global Education

What else?

We are inviting Educate Magis community members to share your thoughts and resources on Global Citizenship and Global Citizenship Education. Please contribute to this list, let us collaborate and share useful resources on this topic, you can do this by joining the Global Citizenship conversation here or by leaving a comment under this blog.