What is it, is it needed?
People often say that being a global citizen means learning about other cultures, understanding different perspectives, striving for peace, and addressing global issues. Many schools already focused on these aspects before Global Citizen, so what sets Global Citizen apart? The UN defines global citizenship as the collective social, political, environmental, and economic actions of globally minded individuals and communities.
While Global Citizen promotes positive ideals, it also introduces its own social and political values to children. What are these values, and do we truly need or want this framework?
Global citizenship is the umbrella term for social, political, environmental, and economic actions of globally minded individuals and communities on a worldwide scale. https://www.un.org/en/academic-impact/global-citizenship
Now that we’ve established that Global Citizen is a social and political initiative, what are its specific stances? It promotes social justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), social-emotional learning (SEL), and critical race theory (CRT), all of which align with progressive, left-leaning ideologies.
Instilling values that reflect the vision of the world and provide purpose, such as respect for diversity, empathy, open-mindedness, justice and fairness for everyone; https://www.unesco.org/en/global-citizenship-peace-education/need-know
UNESCO promotes rule of law and social justice https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/unesco-promotes-rule-law-and-social-justice
Global Citizen Education (GCED) is increasingly positioned as a primary source of political and social values for children, integrating these topics throughout their education. This raises concerns about the potential for indoctrination through repeated subliminal messaging. While GCED does not offer traditional academic subjects like math or provide a formal curriculum, its principles are infused across all your child’s education.
GCED is not a single subject with a set curriculum but rather a framework, a prism through which education is seen. It can be delivered as an integral part of existing subjects – from geography to social studies – or independently. UNESCO supports the dissemination of GCED on different levels and in multiple areas of life beyond the classroom. https://www.unesco.org/en/global-citizenship-peace-education/need-know
What is Global Citizen? It is a political and social framework aimed at instilling the UN’s values in children. We were already teaching about culture, fostering friendships across the globe, promoting respect, and working toward peace without the added layer of political and social indoctrination that Global Citizen introduces. Do we need Global Citizen education? No, parents should be responsible for guiding their children’s social and political views, not the UN or the schools.