We Are the World Citizens

Therefore, global civic education is not a value-neutral education but a value-oriented education. To do so, we should agree on how and what to define the universal value of humankind. It is necessary to reorganize it globally, including international elements in education organized around the existing national state. Therefore, global citizenship education is an education aimed at the universal value of humankind that we can agree upon at this point.

Today, due to the rapid progress of globalization, human and material exchanges across national borders have become more active. Interdependency and interconnection between countries have deepened in political, economic, social, and cultural aspects. At the same time, global problems, which any one country cannot solve, are poverty, environmental issues, terrorism, and infectious diseases. These issues are expanding, the need for cooperation to respond jointly is also increasing. Therefore, the international community emphasizes the cultivation of global citizenship necessary to live as a responsible member of the worldwide community. We want to examine the necessity and concept of global citizenship education today.

It is not easy to define global citizenship education as one. It is common to see various existing educational discussions such as international understanding education, peace education, sustainable development education, development education, and civic education as a comprehensive concept.

First, global citizenship education forms identity as a member of the global community recognizes each other’s diversity. It fosters the power to live together, even if race, religion, and nationality are different.

Second, global citizenship education fosters people who pursue and strive for universal human values to internalize the values such as human rights, peace, and social justice.

Third, global civic education aims to cultivate civic awareness that recognizes and practices one’s rights as a responsible member of the global civil society. The progress of globalization has led us to the rapid spread of global problems. We cannot solve the issues such as poverty, environmental crisis, terrorism, and infectious diseases at one country level.

Therefore, global citizens do not stop at understanding global problems and issues but actively participate and solidarity for social change with ownership of the worldwide community.

All our lives have something to do with each other globally, not just limited to one village or country. We need to learn global citizenship education so that the world’s population can coexist. We specialize in tourism and should further cultivate the spirit of global citizenship. No one has a right to violate others’ human rights while conducting international projects. They should help each other as members of the worldwide community.