An Ignatian Perspective on the Journey of Global Citizenship

In 2019, a Global Task Force on Global Citizenship was convened by the Secretariat of Education (Secondary and Pre-Secondary). The Task Force united the diverse voices and realities of the six geographical regions of the Global Jesuit Network of Schools, along with JRS-Education and Fe y Alegría. The members of the Taskforce from the different corners of the world came together virtually in a creative and inspiring process over a number of months to deliberate and understand what Global Citizenship means in an Ignatian context, what it means for our schools and how we can educate our students, in a truly Ignatian way, to be global citizens.

Following in the footsteps of St. Ignatius and his Companions, we seek to be men and women for and with others, to strive toward a human excellence that cherishes our common home, affirms life and embraces collaboration and community.

Just as Ignatius shared with the first Companions this vision, and they all embarked on paths that took them into the world and across the globe, we, as Jesuit educators steeped in that same vision, accompany our students on paths into the world and across the globe. In our students’ universal formation as Jesuit educated youth, we aspire to more deeply develop their identity and responsibility as Global Citizens.

As a first step on this journey to the formation of Global Citizens and inspired by the Jesuit mission of reconciliation with God, within Humanity, and with Creation, the taskforce offers this Ignatian definition of Global Citizenship:

Global Citizens are those who continuously seek to deepen their awareness of their place and responsibility, both locally and globally, in an increasingly interconnected world; those who stand in solidarity with others in the pursuit of a sustainable earth and a more humane world as true companions in the mission of reconciliation and justice. » Secretariat Global Taskforce Document 

As a global network of Jesuit schools that spans the globe, we are in a unique position to educate our students to be agents of change and promoters of justice in a world that is at once drawn close together but disparate. We have an opportunity to collaborate as a single but powerful voice in the world. This work on Global Citizenship is one more step on a path that was laid by Ignatius himself and walked upon by all those who have come before us.

The work of the Secretariat Global Citizenship Taskforce has been integrated into the Global Citizenship section of Educate Magis, providing us with a framework and resources we can use to deepen the global dimensions of our schools and classrooms.

The work is presented through a set of interactive and practical web pages (under Global Citizenship) which show:

  • An Ignatian Definition and an overview of the following pages
  • Ignatian Historical and Contemporary Context – a beautiful interactive infographic showing how we have arrived at this point
  • A Way of Proceeding: A Whole School Approach – looking at Global Citizenship in the context of the UAPs and the JESEDU-Rio2017 Action Statement, this section provides templates schools can use to design activities using this framework, as well as a set of guiding questions for different constituents within the school community to develop a whole-school approach to Global Citizenship
  • Activities and Plans: A library of materials and resources available for teachers who wish to deepen the global dimensions of their lessons. Our hope is that this library continues to grow as more people share lesson plans, activities and experiences they have found helpful.

We are delighted to be at this point and look forward to continuing to evolve the Global Citizenship materials, resources and framework together with you, the global community. We invite you to explore these pages, share them with your colleagues and let us know how you are educating for Global Citizenship in your schools/if there is something you would like us to add.