Global challenges such as technological advances, climate change, and political instability impact at a local level around the world. We believe that these challenges are especially relevant to children and young people, who are growing up and inheriting a world more complex, connected and globalised than ever before.
To develop a ‘global youth’ capable of driving development and sustainability, children need to leave school with a set of skills that are currently underdeveloped. Young people must be able to grasp the global and local dynamics at play in the issues they face on a day to day basis and be equipped with the knowledge and know-how to take action.
“In an era of globalization, people recognize that they are part of a global society, but they have no idea how to make such a society work. So far, no unified vision or leadership has emerged to guide us in this endeavor.”
― Victor Shamas
The United Nations launched the 17 Sustainable Development Goals in 2015 as a way of highlighting the key challenges we face at a global scale and setting ambitious targets for combatting them. The call to action was for businesses, educational institutions, the public sector and private individuals to do their part in tackling these challenges.
We believe that to create a generation capable of tackling these challenges however our education system globally must incorporate ways for youth to understand the underlying forces at play and build the skills necessary for addressing them sustainably.
We must foster global citizenship.
Education is about more than literacy and numeracy,
it is also about citizenry.”
Ban Ki-Moon. United Nations Secretary-General (2012)