Global Citizenship

What is a
Global
Citizen?

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Global citizenship is the idea that all people have rights and 
civic responsibilities that come with being a member of the world,
with whole-world philosophy and sensibilities, rather than as a citizen
of a particular nation or place. The idea is that one’s identity
transcends geography or political borders and that responsibilities or
rights are derived from membership in a broader class: "humanity".
This does not mean that such a person denounces or waives their
nationality or other, more local identities, but such identities are given
"second place" to their membership in a global community

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 A Global Citizen is someone who:
× is aware of the wider world and has a sense of
their own role as a world citizen
× respects and values diversity
× has an understanding of how the world works
× is outraged by social injustice
× participates in the community at a range of
levels, from the local to the global
× is willing to act to make the world a more
equitable and sustainable place
× takes responsibility for their actions.

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Global citizenship education (GCED) is a form of 
civic learning that involves students' active participation in
projects that address global issues of a social, political,
economic, or environmental nature. The two main
elements of GCE are 'global consciousness'; the moral or
ethical aspect of global issues, and 'global competencies',
or skills meant to enable learners to participate in
changing and developing the world. The promotion of
GCE was a response by governments and NGOs to the
emergence of supranational institution, 
regional economic blocs, and the development of 
information and communications technologies. These have
all resulted in the emergence of a more globally oriented
and collaborative approach to education. GCE addresses
themes such as peace and human rights, intercultural
understanding, citizenship education, respect for diversity
and tolerance, and inclusiveness.
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 “
× "Education must be not
only a transmission of
culture but also a
provider of alternative
views of the world and
a strengthener of skills
to explore them"  -
Jerome S Bruner

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With the interconnected and interdependent nature of our
world, the global is not ‘out there’; it is part of our
everyday lives, as we are linked to others on every
continent:
• socially and culturally through the media and
telecommunications, and through travel and migration
• economically through trade
• environmentally through sharing one planet
• politically through international relations and systems
of regulation

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The active, participatory methods of Education for Global Citizenship and
Sustainable Development help young people to learn how decisions made by
people in other parts of the world affect our lives, just as our decisions affect the
lives of others. Education for Global Citizenship and Sustainable Development also
promotes pupil participation in the learning process and in decision-making for the
following reasons:

• Everything done in school sends out messages, so we need to exemplify the

values we wish to promote. If we wish to affirm beliefs about the equality of all
human beings and the importance of treating everyone fairly and with respect,
we need to ensure that learning processes, and relationships between pupils
and teachers, reflect and reinforce these values.
• Research shows that in more democratic schools pupils feel more in control of
their learning, and the quality of teaching, learning and behaviour is better.
• The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child affirms the right of children to
have their opinions taken into account on matters that affect them.