Posted on 03/31/2006 8:16:54 AM PST by restornu
You may well have come across the notion of 'Global Citizenship', but what does it mean? It is a term being used increasingly in educational circles, and consequently there are a variety of views about what it is. These range from the idea that everyone is a citizen of the globe to the standpoint that in a legal sense there is no such thing as a global citizen.
At Oxfam Education, we believe that Global Citizenship is more than the sum of its parts. It goes beyond simply knowing that we are citizens of the globe to an acknowledgement of our responsibilities both to each other and to the Earth itself. Global Citizenship is about understanding the need to tackle injustice and inequality, and having the desire and ability to work actively to do so. It is about valuing the Earth as precious and unique, and safeguarding the future for those coming after us. Global Citizenship is a way of thinking and behaving. It is an outlook on life, a belief that we can make a difference.
We see a Global Citizen as 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 economically, politically, socially, culturally, technologically and environmentally;
is outraged by social injustice;
participates in and contributes to the community at a range of levels from local to global;
is willing to act to make the world a more sustainable place;
takes responsibility for their actions.
(Oxfam 1997)
This description of a Global Citizen is the ideal. It may feel like rather a tall order, but don't be put off! Everyone has the potential to be a Global Citizen if they wish to, and is somewhere along the path towards that goal. For those willing to take up the challenge, all you need is courage, commitment, and a sense of humour.
To create a world of Global Citizens, education must be a priority. Global Citizenship is not an additional subject - it is an ethos. It can best be implemented through a whole-school approach, involving everyone with a stake in educating children, from the children themselves to those with teaching and non-teaching roles in the school, parents, governors/school board members, and the wider community.
It can also be promoted in class through teaching the existing curriculum in a way that highlights aspects such as social justice, the appreciation of diversity and the importance of sustainable development.
In the wider school setting, Global Citizenship can be reflected in the way you relate to those around you: it is as much to do with how visitors are welcomed as it is about what and how teachers teach. This is because Global Citizenship in schools is based on the following principles.
The importance of reaffirming or developing a sense of identity and self-esteem.
Valuing all pupils and addressing inequality within and outside school.
Acknowledging the importance of relevant values, attitudes, and personal and social education.
Willingness to learn from the experiences of others around the world.
Relevance to young people's interests and needs.
Supporting and increasing young peoples' motivation to effect change.
A holistic approach to Global Citizenship - that it should be an ethos permeating all areas of school life.
(Oxfam 1997)
These principles apply throughout school life, across all subjects and within all age groups. We see them as the foundation on which education should be built: as a basic entitlement for all pupils.
Oxfam's Catalogue
Oxfam's catalogue contains a wide range of materials published by Oxfam and others.
Global Citizenship: the Handbook for Primary Teaching. Purchase now from our online catalogue
So I googled Corporate Citizen
I also decide to look up Global Citizenship
Agreed. "Global citizenship" is just a code word to bring down the U.S. to the same level as everyone else.
BUCHANAN: I mean, are you a globalist?
HAYDUK: Well, globally...
BUCHANAN: Globalist.
HAYDUK: ... 23 countries in the world permit residents to vote in local elections.
BUCHANAN: What do you think? What do you think?
(CROSSTALK)
HAYDUK: What do I think? I think its a logical policy. Its a basic fundamental principle.
(CROSSTALK)
BUCHANAN: You are a citizen of the world. Tancredo and I are citizens of the world.
HAYDUK: Im a democrat with a small D, right?
BUCHANAN: Were limited. Tancredo and I only have one country. Were limited people. We only have one country.
I am an American watching my nation try to convert me into a Citizen of the North American Union. My currency is the Dollar. My Representative reports to a body in D.C. whose power has been usurped by a foreign multi-national interest, with a Union Parliament Executive for the NAU reporting to the Union Leader. Oh, we're on our way. A world Security Council with an Army and the handful of Union Leaders, led by the World Chairman, an avowed Communist Internationalist. One harmonic, government-endorsed and licensed 'church'. Everyone not marching in goose-step is a terrorist, especially Believers.
Yes. Many of our elected politicians feel they are global citizens and act accordingly. The net effect is that they no longer defend our Constitution.
Please note that 'social justice' is the calling card of the left wing and communists.
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Exactly. Could not have said it better. I call them "The Enemy Within"...
This is utopian socialist bull__!! It's the dream of one big happy world where there are no borders or "trade barriers" However this translates as: "We are poor, backward, slothful and archaic. We want to be rich without working for it. Look at America, they have created a free and rich society. It takes too long and too much work to do this ourselves so lets jus loot America instead"
Well, I think you're right. With the coming of NAFTA (and now CAFTA), the elites of this country have decided that we live in a North (and Central) American Union. That means no tariffs, and it ultimately means no boundaries. They've created a stew with no thought to what it might taste like.
Yesterday I watched Higgely (sp?)Town Heroes on the Disney Channel with my two-year old grandson.
The children wanted to count ducks on a pond. The ducks weren't quacking, so one of them picked up a duck and discovered that it was covered with oil. The hero of the day was called in to assess the situation. Who was the hero? The Evironmentalist dessed in a tie-dyed tee shirt. The Environmentalist made an announcement through a megaphone asking all boaters to take their boats off the lake (which they did very happily) and she stuck a No Boating sign at the edge of the pond. I'm not going to get into a discussion about motor boats on lakes here. I'm just pointing out the fact that our kids are being turned into "Global Citizens" right under our noses.
Global corporations truly have no allegiance to any nation or to any system of government other than that which benefits itself directly at any given moment. The owners of such corporations are not interested in whether your or my grandchildren live in a self-governing society that values all types of liberty. They have removed themselves from the commonweal and therefore cannot be citizens of any one country in the Aristotelian sense.
Proponents of globalism are really opponents of self-government of any one nation which requires borders and a citizenry that see its future and well being connected to a definable people and place.
You would have to be in denial to not see it, or else be happy to go along with it.
...and no Guarantee of the US Constitution!
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