Be A Global Citizen!

Child development and humanitarian competition. These are just two fascinating topics of many that I discuss with Stefanie Horton on another episode of VCE, or Value Creating Education, interviews. I wish to spotlight the work and efforts of amazing VCE educators, like Stefanie, and I hope you find their perspectives to be enlightening. She is an early childhood educator with international experience teaching in Japan, New York, and the Philippines. Enjoy! 

Here is a new interview series called 'Foster the GCs.' The goal of this new series is to speak with staff, faculty, and facilities workers from Soka University of America, or SUA, about the school’s mission statement, which is to foster a steady stream of global citizens committed to living a contributive life. On this first episode, I welcome Kevin Moncrief who is the Vice President for Mission Integration at SUA. He shares about his hopes for a future where consistent dialogue on global citizenship will best inform and ensure the actualization of SUA's mission to foster global citizens. Enjoy! 

Today, I speak with Jaemin Park who is a commercial assistant at the embassy of Sri Lanka in Seoul, South Korea. He talks about his mission on the episode: to serve underprivileged populations and create societal change through public policies, rooted in human rights. I believe that Jaemin's many experiences of transforming personal hardships to cultivate greater empathy and his commitment to human rights is what shapes his position and viewpoint as a global citizen. Check out his thoughts for yourself and tune in! Enjoy!  

Melanie Peterson-Nafziger is another incredible person from World Savvy, the non-profit organization whose mission is to educate and engage youth to learn, work, and thrive as responsible global citizens. She is a Professional Learning Facilitator and has over 25 years of teaching experience. I really enjoyed talking with Melanie and found her career trajectory to be fascinating, fulfilling, and innovative. Listen to this episode to find out how Melanie has worked to create, lead, and inspire new programs towards greater global competencies in future generations across schools in the United States. Enjoy! 

In this episode of GC talks, I'm joined by Aishani Khurana who is a doctoral researcher in socio-cultural anthropology at the University of Illinois Chicago. She shares about her perspectives on global citizenship and the need to bring out one's lived- experiences with respect to their societal and cultural milieu. From her experiences as a teacher and professor, she cites the valuable experiences her students shared about their own local geographies and the deep understandings that emerge from their shared struggles to overcome discrimination in society. Aishani talks about her role as a global citizen toward contributing to new theories surrounding hate crimes and what can be done at the local level to feel more empowered to make change. Enjoy! 

What the world urgently needs in this fast-paced, globalized society are global competencies that prepare young people for success and active engagement. With the mission to educate and engage youth to learn, work, and thrive as responsible global citizens, the non-profit organization, World Savvy, is greatly impacting K-12 reform toward new development and hope for a better world. I'm joined by the co-founder and CEO of World Savvy, Dana Mortenson, to learn more about the origins of this growing non-profit and how their idea of global citizenship takes shape through local initiatives as well as systems-level approaches. Enjoy! 

To learn more about World Savvy, check out their website: 

https://www.worldsavvy.org/

To learn more about Global Competencies, here is a link to the matrix from their website:

https://www.worldsavvy.org/our-approach/global-competence/

I'm joined yet again by Andrew Gebert to discuss the most recent Ikeda peace proposal. This 2022 peace proposal is titled: 'Transforming Human History: The Light of Peace and Dignity.' Andrew is a professor at Soka University of Japan and DePaul University. He is also a Japanese to English translator who is based in Tokyo, Japan. There is so much to unpack in these peace proposals, so I encourage you to read the full text: https://www.daisakuikeda.org/sub/resources/works/props/2022-peace-proposal-full/ 

Enjoy this conversation and let's be global citizens! 

I'm joined by Laura Cossette to explore the term global citizenship and what it means to embody this ideal in our day-to-day lives. She currently works at Partners of the Americas where she does important work in global citizenship education, specifically, for study abroad programs. Laura has traveled and lived abroad on numerous occasions in Europe and Latin America.  On the episode, she shares some insights from these experiences that exemplify her passion and commitment to creating positive social change in our world. Enjoy our conversation! 

I'm joined by Junior Menezes to talk about his fascinating and inspiring background of broadening his perspective on the world. He came from a lower income community on the outskirts of Sao Paulo, Brazil. Through bold action and grit, he has lived in seven different countries, earned University degrees, and currently works as the Admissions coordinator at Minvera University. There is a lot to unpack with Junior's story! Enjoy! 

In the latest installment of GC talks, I'm joined by Rodrigo Carvalhedo who is a civil engineer, screenwriter, and animator from Brazil. He currently resides in California and is pursuing his dream to write and create stories that fully resonate with people. From his experiences living in different countries to his curiosity about the world, Rodrigo embodies global citizenship. He shares how vital empathy is towards understanding the heart of others. Enjoy!