Global Citizenship
Mulgrave’s Global Citizenship education empowers our community to build empathy, make connections and take action for a better world for all.
Reflective of ours school's vision and values, our responsibility to embrace the diversity of the human experience will be fulfilled through our commitment to:
- diversity, equity and inclusion
- sustainability
- cultural competence
- Indigenous knowledge systems
- social justice
To become Global Citizens, and ‘thrive in a culturally diverse and interdependent world’ we believe students should have:
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an understanding of their own (emerging) identity and the privileges and challenges they have;
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an understanding of the identity of others and the privileges and struggles they face (issues of prejudice, discrimination, racism);
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and the intercultural skills to connect with others.
Understanding one’s own identity is a central part of wellbeing.
Global Citizenship Learning
Through our planned curricular learning experiences, students in Grades 6-12 engage with global citizenship themes and learning. While the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals provide a lens for our students to engage with issues and opportunities related to sustainability, our approach to the intentional teaching of global citizenship skills is much broader.
Using global contexts, MYP students develop an understanding of their common humanity and shared guardianship of the planet through developmentally appropriate explorations of:
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identities and relationships
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personal and cultural expression
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orientations in space and time
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scientific and technical innovation
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fairness and development
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globalization and sustainability
In the DP, students build on this learning through their core IB subjects. They also have opportunities to explore a topic of global significance through their Extended Essay and inquire into the nature of knowing while deepening their understanding of knowledge as a human construction in Theory of Knowledge.
GEx Programme
Our Global Citizenship Experiential Learning Programme (GEx), which includes a ‘week without walls’ of community engagement, is an important part of our Upper School curriculum. This initiative enables students to expand their educational experiences, further develop their real-world leadership skills, and engage in meaningful and impactful learning experiences grounded in the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Grade 10s can participate in their week without walls in Vancouver or regionally, within Canada. Additional, optional international programming is open to Grade 10 and 11 students.
Through the GEx programmes, we nurture and teach a range of intercultural, leadership, and entrepreneurial skills, which will impact students for the rest of their lives. As well, pre- and post-experience project activities allow students to demonstrate initiative, take ownership, and showcase their learning.
Grade 10 Global Citizenship Course
Our G10 Global Citizenship course enables students to become responsible, active citizens within the diverse communities to which they belong. As well as becoming critically thoughtful and informed citizens who value an inclusive society, students gain skills to solve problems and communicate ideas about significant developments, events, and issues. Students are also encouraged to reflect upon their role as either ally, advocate, and/or activist.
The course explores historical, social, economic, and political developments and events and their impact on the lives of different individuals, groups, and communities, including First Nations, Métis, and Inuit people, in Canada and around the world since 1914. They also explore issues of civic importance such as environmental responsibility and the policies needed to meaningfully engage with issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Through this work. they develop their ability to apply the concepts of historical thinking and link their analysis to present global issues and challenges that confront our society today.
Creativity, Action, Service
The Mulgrave CAS programmes facilitates sustained student engagement and learning in our local and global communities, often beyond the traditional classroom. At the heart of CAS is the goal to develop opportunities for youth to explore, embrace and embody the ethos of what it means to be a global citizen.
To be effective global citizens, young people need to be flexible, creative, and proactive. They need to be able to solve problems, make decisions, think critically, communicate ideas effectively, and work well within teams and groups. These skills and attributes are increasingly recognised as being essential to succeed in other areas of 21st century life too, including workplaces and must be learned by engaging with the world and by collaborating with others.
Global Citizenship Leadership and Engagement Opportunities
Our planned curriculum connections are enhanced through a range of student leadership and engagement opportunities. They represent the broad range of global citizenship themes that are reflected in our guiding statement and definition. Groups, inevitably, work collaboratively to ensure there is an opportunity for dialogue, understanding and, ultimately, increased empathy.