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Global Citizenship
Global Citizenship
One way to achieve this goal is by diving head first into global citizenship.
But what is global citizenship? What is a global citizen? And how do you become
a global citizen? A global citizen is an individual who is aware of the world and
has a sense of their role in it. They respect and value diversity and work to
understand and add to efforts to achieve social development goals. Global citizens
participate in communities at all levels (from local to global) and take
responsibility for their actions and interactions with members of their own
community and communities abroad. To become a global citizen, you’ll have to be
creative, flexible, dedicated and proactive. Global citizens get involved as
members of the international community and are committed to building on this
community in a meaningful and positive way. This means that aspiring global
citizens need to develop skills related to problem-solving, decision-making, critical
thinking, communication and collaboration. These five skills are becoming more
and more essential to success in the workplace, as well as life in general, and can
add to both your personal and professional development in a big way.
The world is becoming more globalized every day, with media and
technology allowing ideas and cultures to cross borders faster than ever before.
What’s more, international politics and international relations create systems in
which we all live, and we’re all responsible for the health and future of the planet.
A global citizen is someone who is aware of and understands the wider world and
their place in it. They take an active role in their community and work with others
to make our planet more peaceful, sustainable and fairer.
While it may mean different things to different people, the most common
global citizenship definition is the idea that all people have civic responsibilities to
the world as a whole, rather than just their local communities or countries. So, by
expanding one’s personal horizons through global learning, you are able to effect
change in a more meaningful sense on both a small and larger scale. You may feel
like you don’t have enough to offer. It’s tempting to think you have to travel to a
new country every month or fight for social justice to define yourself as a “global
citizen.” This misses the mark. The global citizen definition you should use is more
about being connected and garnering an understanding of cultures beyond your
own. This looks different for different people. What does it mean to be a global
citizen for you? It could start with something as simple as researching a new
country or making friends with an immigrant neighbor. It could end with traveling
abroad and contributing to community efforts to advance education, health, or
environmental conservation. Working to solve our shared global challenges is so
important, and this drive to make a positive impact is most effective when it stems
from the feeling of global citizenship and being a member of an international
community.
So then, how does one become a global citizen or improve their global
citizenship skills? What do you have to do in order to get this kind of global
education and world mindset? When people make the decision to become global
citizens, they have already made a step in the right direction towards expanding
their global awareness, but there are some things — both small and large — that
you personally can do to create global citizenship in your own life.
1. GET INSPIRED
Find yourself a world map and collect books on places you would like to visit.
These can include both fiction and nonfiction, language, or geographical books.
Finding your passion and keeping yourself inspired by the breadth of different
countries and cultures will give you the motivation to learn and integrate yourself
more into the global community.
2. GET EDUCATED
Take global education courses at your high school or college, and build your
knowledge base for international happenings. Courses involved with leadership,
business or community engagement are especially helpful.
3. GET HUNGRY
Eat at different traditional restaurants and make strides to learn a language. Get to
know the owners of the restaurants. Where are they from? What are their stories?
Buy a cookbook and try to learn about a different culture’s cuisine. You can even
make it fun and have themed parties (when it’s safe to do so again) where everyone
brings a specific dish, and tries to speak only that language throughout the dinner
party.
4.READ MORE
This increased exposure will help you narrow down your focus, and provide you
with a knowledge-base for global trends.
5. GO ABROAD
Find programs that allow you to study and live abroad, perhaps even with an
internship component, for increased mentorship and skills development. If these
opportunities include a language-learning option, even better!
6. MAKE FRIENDS
During your time domestically, you can find ways to establish cross-cultural
friendships or relationships on campus, with exchange students, etc.
If possible, find an international pen-pal (or an email pal, or WhatsApp pal) and
exchange perspectives. This is a good way to prepare for a trip abroad too!
7. BECOME A LEADER
That said, it takes more than just a sense of self-awareness to achieve global
citizenship; perhaps more important than self-awareness is awareness of others.
And while global consciousness is a significant baseline for global citizenship,
cultural empathy is even more paramount. The ability to question one’s own
perspective on the world and to practice tolerance and understanding for other
cultures is vital for critical thinking. Arguably the highest rank in global citizenship
though is participation in the improvement of one’s society. Students striving to be
global citizens have cited feeling connected to not only the betterment of the
world, but also to their community. Through activism and wise decision-making,
even the world’s most enduring issues such as hunger and poverty can be solved.
References:
• https://www.oxfam.org.uk/education/who-we-are/what-is-global-
citizenship/#:~:text=A%20global%20citizen%20is%20someone,more%20peaceful
%2C%20sustainable%20and%20fairer.&text=Global%20citizenship%20helps
%20young%20people,own%20understanding%20of%20world%20events.
• https://www.globalcitizenyear.org/content/global-citizenship/
• https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_citizenship
• https://www.gvi.co.uk/blog/7-steps-to-become-a-global-citizen/
• https://blog.eftours.com/article/what-is-global-citizenship/