GCS ARTICLES

Global Citizenship Education: a challenge to complacency?

by Paula Galvin May 2022

“The world is in a state of chassis” ; these oft quoted words of Sean O Casey can be applied to the world of 2022; a world sickened and weakened by the virus , Covid 19, where the marginalised and weak are “manipulated” coerced or ignored, where buffoons and bullies spout “ misinformation” and “fake news”. ( Monbiot, G). It is a world where histories are rewritten and the forces of violence roll on untrammelled in the Ukraine, in Syria, in South Sudan, in Yemen and in Afghanistan. It is a world devastated and destroyed by human excess and arrogance in its attempt to use the natural world to its own unnatural ,man-made ends.

An increasingly fractured, polarised, and divisive world can be viewed as a disappointingly hopeless society “People who live in unequal societies tend to be more frustrated, anxious, insecure and discontent with their lives” (Hickel, 2017). The pandemic, the climate crisis and recent events in the Ukraine and elsewhere have heightened these feelings of foreboding about a perilous future.

Creating hope in these uncertain times can be difficult. How can we as educators engender in learners a sense of hope as well as a sense of empowerment to “bring about positive change for a more just and equal world” (Irish Aid & Trocaire, 2006, p.6) James Trewby writing about citizen engagement with the global justice movement in the UK has suggested that there are three ways to do this.

The learner must

● understand the urgency of the problem
● have potential solutions to the problem
● be convinced that their efforts might matter

One way we can do this is by embedding Global Citizenship Education into our curriculum as a stated objective in the proposed new draft primary curriculum. It needs to occupy a central place in our new curriculum .According to UNESCO,

Global citizenship education aims to empower learners to engage and assume active roles both locally and globally to face and resolve global challenges and ultimately to become proactive contributors to a more just, peaceful, tolerant, inclusive, and sustainable world

Now more than ever, the importance of an education which has the power to challenge ‘false communiqués` from elites and eradicate the culture of silence`, to engender in learners the critical thinking skills and real-life problem-solving skills to effect real and lasting change in a world of crisis, chaos and catastrophe, cannot be overestimated.

In an increasingly fractured, disturbed, and disrupted world, the necessity of embedding values, skills and attitudes of global citizenship education becomes even more urgent. Empowering learners to give voice on personal perspectives on issues of global concern (the climate crisis, the pandemic, fighting terrorism and the refugee crisis exacerbated by war and climate crisis) a sense not of hopelessness but rather of radical hope to create a better world is a difficult and challenging one. Real life issues are contentious and problematic but through reflection and action on these issues, learners can be imbued with this sense of hope which is radical. It is not a wishy-washy quasi-religious hand wringing. It is not a faux outrage or a pretence at concern or empathy. It is an outpouring of rage against injustice, a righteous anger towards wrong-doers and manipulators. It is action in solidarity with those who are oppressed. It is a challenge to complacency and apathy. It is dynamic and determined

Real life examples of global injustice (human rights violations, hunger, poverty, gender-based discrimination, recruitment of child soldiers) can be explored and schools can demonstrate empathy with those marginalised as well as demonstrating very real and tangible solidarity through activism which is effective, long-lasting and life-enhancing. The education which has the potential to attain this is Global Citizenship Education. (GCE)

When teaching GCE, we must acknowledge that the subject matter can make children worried or afraid or anxious. Teachers themselves may feel uncomfortable about teaching these issues of global injustice. The necessity of creating a safe and nurturing space in which all these emotions and frequently conflicting feelings can be aired and listened to without prejudice is of paramount importance. Creating such a space where the voice of the child is heard and acknowledged is crucial. I have experienced children becoming really upset when we speak about the climate crisis or animals becoming extinct but when we talk about actions we can do to mitigate this or how we can adapt to change , they become reassured and a sense of empowerment can proceed with actions which are age appropriate and contextualised within the school community and the wider community. In a world beset with uncertainties, the necessity of an education which has at its core the potential to be transformative and emancipatory cannot be ignored.

 

• Global Citizenship Education is real.
• Global Citizenship Education is necessary.
• Global Citizenship Education is urgent.

References

Jason Hickel (2017). Is global inequality getting better or worse? A critique of the World Bank’s convergence narrative, Third World Quarterly, 38(10), 2208–2222.
DOI: 10.1080/01436597.2017.1333414 (accessed 25 February 2022)

Monbiot, G. (2019). The Guardian: How the media let malicious idiots take over.
Available at: theguardian.com (accessed 19 March 2022)

Trewby, J. (2014). Journeys to engagement with the UK Global Justice Movement: Life-stories of activist-educators.
Available at: columbans.co.uk/download/144 (accessed 23 March 2022)

UNESCO (2013). Global Citizenship Education: An emerging perspective.
Available at: unesdoc.unesco.org (accessed 3 March 2022)

Paula Galvin

Our Lady Queen of the Apostles N.S

Clondalkin, Dublin 22

Global Citizenship School Steering Committee

For further information on campaigns, lesson plans, and useful advice, visit Global Citizenship School.