Week 7 & 8: Challenges to Global Citizenship

While there are many challenges to global citizenship the main challenge that has been reflected in this week’s reading is the lack of education when it comes to knowing about global citizenship.

I think Andrzejewski & Alessio (1999) have given reasonable explanations for the various reasons why there is a lack of global citizenship education.
I agree with one of the reasons that issues of political contention are avoided by teachers or educators. The issue of global citizenship can be outside the boundaries of what is considered conventional.

Also, with media especially social media having a huge impact on shaping our views and ideas global citizenship is also heavily influenced by media. As Andrzejewski & Alessio (1999) propose there must be other alternatives besides media to self re-educate on global citizenship issues.

Hower (2013) in the reading “The Making of a Global Citizen” presents active participation as a way of overcoming some of the challenges associated with global citizenship. According to Hower civic engagement can be an effective way for students to learn global citizenship skills. This reminds me of a program at UNSW that I have taken part in called the UNSW Leadership Program which encourages students to learn about leadership not only through workshops but also learn by community engagement and volunteering.

Also this week it was interesting to learn how to draw a line between travellers and tourists. I agree with what Daniel Vera is saying about how a traveller wants to be deeply emerged into the culture whereas a tourist wants to explore.
My travel to Thailand a few years back made me appreciate different aspects of the Thai culture including its history, customs and way of living. It was shocking to see many young children beg on the streets which made me appreciate how privileged I am. My travel to Thailand also made me understand the value of languages since in Thailand it is rare for people to speak in English and by having basic knowledge of the Thai language before travelling I could have a better connection with the Thai people.