SERVICE AND SOCIAL IMPACT
Defining global citizenship education Below are three definitions of GCE :
‘ Global Citizenship Education … aims to empower learners of all ages to assume active roles , both locally and globally , in building more peaceful , tolerant , inclusive and secure societies .’ ( UNESCO , 2020 )
‘ 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 equal , fair and sustainable .’ ( Oxfam , 2020 )
‘ A transformative , lifelong pursuit that involves both curricular learning and practical experience to shape a mindset to care for humanity and the planet , and to equip individuals with global competence to undertake responsible actions aimed at forging more just , peaceful , secure , sustainable , tolerant and inclusive societies .” ( The Global Citizenship Foundation , 2020 )
Common to all definitions is the need for learners to reflect upon the nature of their relationship with local and global communities and the importance of moving beyond learning to taking action . Oxfam points to this role in the context ‘ their community ’, UNESCO refer to ‘ active roles , both locally and globally ’ and The Global Citizenship Foundation frames the positioning of this action as caring ‘ for humanity and the planet ’. Ultimately , all interpretations ask students to develop the knowledge , mindset and skills to shape societal improvements , each with specific societal outcomes in mind - ‘ peaceful ’, ‘ secure ’, ‘ tolerant ’, ‘ sustainable ’ and ‘ just ’. They assume a level of shared appreciation of these goals as collectively valuable .
Davies ( 2006 ), suggests that the very notion of being a ‘ global citizen ’ could be seen as ‘ a paradox or simply an oxymoron ’ due to the lack of a global state and the differences that exist globally in political systems , ideologies and customs . However , others would argue that values such as those that centre upon human rights arise from our human nature , and should be globally recognised . The Sustainable Development Goals have become a focal point of many GCE initiatives such as ‘ Teach SDGs ’. Importantly , the SDGs were created through wide consultation and a commitment from member states ‘ to engage in collective actions with a clear distribution of tasks between developed and developing countries ’ thus aiming to remove a ‘ donorrecipient ’ type of relationship ( UN , 2013 ).
Postcolonial theory
Postcolonial approaches to education aim to consider pedagogical methods in the context of the cultural , social and economic legacies of colonial rule . Foucault ( 1965 ) explores how dominant knowledge systems can enable their version of reality to be strengthened and perpetuated through discourse and social systems . Postcolonial theorists apply this notion of epistemological dominance to the relationship between colonizers and colonized . Whilst the scholars differ in their approaches , they all highlight the impact of the ‘ epistemic violence ’ ( Spivak , 1988 : 280- 281 ) upon the colonized whether through causing mental illness ( Fanon ), sustaining continued separation as the ‘ other ’ or ‘ Oriental ’ ( Said ), or leading to a sense of alienation ( Some , 1994 ).
Towards critical global citizenship education
Andreotti identifies two forms of Global Citizenship Education : a ‘ soft ’ version and a ‘ critical ’ form ( Andreotti , 2006 ). A ‘ soft model ’ is based on a sense of ‘ responsibility for others ’ based on a sense of sympathy for suffering , whereas the critical approach uses a social justice lens , encouraging individuals to adapt a practice of ‘ learning with others ’. Dobson explains that ‘ the ties that bind are … chains of cause and effect that prompt obligations of justice rather than sympathy ’ ( Dobson , 2015 ). Andreotti ( 2006:6-7 ) furthers this , arguing that it is important to recognise global complicity in inequalities .
In this process of understanding , a plurality of voices is vital , also enabling learners to analyse the impact of their own cultural ‘ baggage ’ ( Andreotti , 2011 : 229 ). It is important to break down binaries between two worlds where a division is sustained between the ‘ active ( Northern ) agent and passive ( Southern recipient )’ ( McEwan , 2009 : 213 ). Without specifically promoting skills in critical analysis , we might have very active citizens who lack the tools to generate beneficial action . Thus , following Cook ’ s approach , our ‘ global citizen ’, is ‘ someone who reflects on their complicity in global power relations , considers their responsibilities to those who are disadvantaged by current global arrangements , and who actively resists perpetuating them ’ ( Cook , 2008 : 17 ).
Application
Ultimately , without reflecting on power in global decision-making , students may ‘ reproduce the systems and ways of thinking they are trying to question ’ ( Bourn , 2014 : 24 ). Students need to be equipped to challenge hegemonies both in respect to how knowledge is produced , but also reject the current global distribution of wealth and power as inevitable . In this ‘ life-long
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