ABSTRACT

This paper explores whether the notion of ’global citizenship‚ is too abstract to be
valuable in driving curriculum policy and active citizenship for students. The paper looks
firstly at three of the key aspects of an active role: a concern for social justice; rights;
and culture and cultural conflict. It then examines actual curricula and programmes of
study for global citizenship, and compares the conceptual frameworks, progression
routes and emphases within these curricula.

It moves on to review the research on teachers' practices and orientations in

teaching global citizenship, finding some variation and problems, particularly in areas
such as teaching controversial issues. Factors in successful impact of global citizenship
education are outlined, such as various forms of democratic decision-making and
community service. Constraints are nonetheless identified of curriculum overload,
resources, time and confidence. The paper then describes existing research on the
needs and wishes of learners within global citizenship.
 INTRODUCTION
During the past years, students have had interests in international studies and
this concept has expanded from just a national focus to one of a global focus on civic
education with students wanting to engage in responsibilities extended beyond their
national boarder.

The idea of global citizenship is not new and it bases its origin to ancient Greece
although the concept now seems to have a new face now. Many institutions especially
those of higher learning cite global citizenship in their mission to expand their services
to other parts of the world; most institutions now have a program with “centers of global
citizenship.” A global citizen is one who identifies themselves as being part of an
emerging world and whose efforts and activities contribute to the building of these
community’s values and practices (Thanosawan & Kevin 39).

In the world today the forces of globalization are helping some people to identify
themselves as global citizens in the sense that they belong to a global community and
not a specific country. Global citizenship has been made possible by the growing global
and identity as well as information technology, communication and transportation. The
booming technology is making it possible for people to connect liberally globally with
fewer struggles(Reysen, & Katzarska-Miller, 78).

With the invention of internet, people are able to participate in the global
economy activities as well as engage in humanitarian and philanthropic activities.
Technology has made movement very easy and we can now travel and visit different
parts of the world anytime we want (Reysen, 870). By being global citizens we have
concern for what is not happening in our own country but to the whole universe and we
are able to share ideas and solve emerging problems as one big community.

Since the world war two several nations have taken the effort to develop a global
policy that will provide support various values that require our attention. International
organization as well as NGOs have come together to provide an international
agreement and treaties to help the world in development but despite these efforts we
have a long way to go before we establish a global policy which will cater for the
institutional infrastructure. We have to establish a global structure that will support the
emerging global communities with its growing number of people practicing global
governance. Governance at a global level is not easy because there is need for
mechanisms that will enable global citizen to engage in global activities (Reysen, 870).

Most people who cannot participate feel a bit disconnected to the world which
makes it difficult to build a grass-root community at the global level. There is need for
leaders who can play the roles of an activist in forming the global community. Most
countries do not participate in global governance because they think that it is the work
of the sovereign states to manage the global communities. Global leaders should take
part in advocating for adoption and promotion of changes in the way people behavior to
help protect the environment.

Humanitarian groups can arrange for events that celebrate and bring people
together to practice diverse cultures and spiritual traditions for all the communities in the
world. In one way or the other most of us feel connected to those sharing similar
challenges around the world but we lack proper tools and mechanisms to act and solve
these problems. By itself global citizenship has its legal democratic overtones because
it is wrapped up in the rights and obligation to the sovereign states. Most European
countries have embraced the issue of global citizenship and have allowed people to
move freely, work, live as well as participate in other member states.

A visible evidence of the massive global citizenship is the many global activists
who tirelessly continue to fight for environmental protection and human rights. Most
global citizens are not recognized as legal citizens and their existence is usually
represented as “associatively.” This happens because there is no global bureaucracy
that helps in providing sanctions that protect global citizens from any form of
harassment (Thanosawan, 304).

According to Steenburgen global citizens are very lucky since they represent a
more holistic community where you have the freedom to choose where you want to
work, live, play and move and you are not tied down to your land of birth. Many of the
newly global citizens are actively engaging in global efforts in business ventures and
environmental maintenance against nuclear weapons. With the exception engaging in
global other global citizens have grassroots’ activism.

Globalization has brought about both positive and negative impacts on the nation
with the highest registration being the cultural diversity has more serious impacts on our
lives. In a global supply chain all the local issues affecting a certain region take on
worldwide significance. For most businesses human rights are relatively new, in 2008,
the UN human right council introduced the “protect, respect and remedy “campaign that
helped better management of human rights which are mostly abused by businesses
whole they conduct their business (Reysen, & Katzarska-Miller, 78). Most companies do
not mind about the dangers they expose their employees to and they do not take the
required protective measures.

This is what the UN is advocating for in the world because it is the high time
these businesses took responsibility of their actions. The corporate responsibility
requires that the company’s policies or other public or any other public organization
incorporate all the human rights (Reysen, & Katzarska-Miller, 78).
 It is required to periodically access human rights impact it has on the people and
integrate the results and implication across its decision making processes. It is also
required to keep all the tracks and records on its performance from time to time, this
process requires authority from the top accompanied by an alignment of other staffs in
the company. Those at risk of being impacted and denied venues to raise their
concerns are the ones who are involved in the process (Reysen, 870).

This program if well enacted in a company it will help the company know and
respect human rights and concerns. More companies are now working closely with
human right activists to ensure that they meet baseline expectations on human right
preservations. Affordable health care is another issue that has been raised in the global
community. There is need for affordable health service delivery which can easily be
improved but technology and more resources.

If technology and growing economic factors do not allow us to see ourselves as

global citizens then some might want to look at the government for inspiration and
support (Reysen, 870). Being a global citizen is a choice, a state of mind with each one
of us being able to manifest in our own lives. In the times we are living it is no big deal
being a global citizen and it does not require any formal qualifications or any inherent
condition. There are several principles that will be essential for one to be a global citizen
(Galpin, 47).

 One must be holistic and collaborative to approaches win.

 Know that change is not loss.
 Relationship deepen humanity.
 Note that difficult problems want collective action.
 Respect for others is golden.
 Make your contribution ns where you live.
 Find comfort with ambiguity.
 Take responsibility.

These principles are the most important for one to be able to reveal their thoughts a
bit widely and become a global citizen with no worries. In the world we are living today
economics, politics and security are the most alarming issues being addressed every
day. Citizen diplomacy is a concept that involves private citizens engaging in their
personal endeavors to serve their own interprets and diplomacy which involves a
framework for cooperation between countries to work together towards a common goal.

There are various methods of measuring the impact of diplomacy but many focus on
measuring the results based on individual contribution to the community (Thanosawan
& Kevin 39). A fascinating attribute of globalization is the fact that the world is being
made international and at the same time, it is being localized to one big community was
people are living as one people. The world’s ability to shrink to one local community has
brought about great impacts especially to the economy of the world.
 RESULTS
Global citizenship is the umbrella term for social, political, environmental, and economic
actions of globally minded individuals and communities on a worldwide scale. The term can
refer to the belief that individuals are members of multiple, diverse, local and non-local
networks rather than single actors affecting isolated societies. Promoting global citizenship in
sustainable development will allow individuals to embrace their social responsibility to act for
the benefit of all societies, not just their own.

The concept of global citizenship is embedded in the Sustainable Development Goals

though SDG 4: Insuring Inclusive and Quality Education for All and Promote Life Long Learning,
which includes global citizenship as one of its targets. By 2030, the international community has
agreed to ensure that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote
sustainable development, including global citizenship. Universities have a responsibility to
promote global citizenship by teaching their students that they are members of a large global
community and can use their skills and education to contribute to that community.
DISCUSSION/CONCLUSION

What is a Global Citizen?

"An ethic of care for the world." Hannah Arendt
There is a great deal of debate and discussion around this question, as there is around
the whole concept of globalisation. A useful working definition, however, is offered by
Oxfam:

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.

To be effective Global Citizens, young people need to be flexible, creative and

proactive. They need to be able to solve problems, make decisions, think critically,
communicate ideas effectively and work well within teams and groups. These skills and
attributes are increasingly recognised as being essential to succeed in other areas of
21st century life too, including many workplaces. These skills and qualities cannot be
developed without the use of active learning methods through which pupils learn by
doing and by collaborating with others.

Why is Global Citizenship education needed?

"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
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.
The opportunities our fast-changing ‘globalised’ world offers young people are
enormous. But so too are the challenges. Young people are entitled to an education that
equips them with the knowledge, skills and values they need in order to embrace the
opportunities and challenges they encounter, and to create the kind of world that they
want to live in. An education that supports their development as Global Citizens.

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.

What does it look like in the classroom?

"Education is not a preparation for life, it is life itself." John Dewey
Education for Global Citizenship deals with issues of global interdependence, diversity
of identities and cultures, sustainable development, peace & conflict and inequities of
power, resources & respect.

These issues are addressed in the classroom through a wide and evolving variety of
participatory teaching and learning methodologies, including structured discussion and
debate, role-play, ranking exercises, and communities of enquiry. Such active methods
are now established as good practice in education, and are not unique to global
citizenship. Curriculum for Excellence has at its core a commitment to improved student
participation in order to develop the four capacities: successful learners, confident
individuals, responsible citizens and effective contributors.

It is crucial to be aware that, far from promoting one set of answers or values or
attitudes, education for global citizenship encourages children and young people to
explore, develop and express their own values and opinions. (Always requiring too that
they listen to and respect other people's points of view.) This is an important step
towards children and young people making informed choices as to how they exercise
their own rights and their responsibilities to others.
It is also vital that teachers at all levels do not approach education for global citizenship
with the feeling that they must have all the answers – impossible anyway in such a fast
changing world. The role of the teacher is to enable pupils to find out about their world
for themselves and to support them as they learn to assess evidence, negotiate and
work with others, solve problems and make informed decisions.

Conclusion
The conclusion confirms the consensus on the importance of global citizenship
and argues that it can be turned into a more radical and politicised curriculum area;
however, more research is needed on impact of the learning, including research by
students themselves.

REFERENCES:
https://www.aresearchguide.com/global-citizenship.html

https://academicimpact.un.org/content/global-citizenship

http://www.ideas-forum.org.uk/about-us/global-citizenship

https://unchronicle.un.org/issue/global-citizenship