Global Citizenship in the Spotlight: Curricular Possibilities From a Youth White Paper Presented to UNESCO

• In Event: Then, Now, and Here: Possibilities, Freedom, and the Complexities of Citizenship

Abstract

With input from over 1000 high school students from across the country and 2000 hours of student collaboration, the National Youth White Paper on Global Citizenship was presented to UNESCO-Canada in June 2015. Using this unique opportunity to examine a youth-written document intended to influence policy, this paper asks: a) what are youths articulating in terms of their present experiences and perspectives that must be taken-up, and b) what are they neglecting to articulate that must be made more evident in schools? The paper considers the document in relation to theoretical, research-based, policy-based, and curriculum/pedagogical work on global citizenship education. It analyzes whether or not youths’ conceptualizations of global citizenship reflect current scholarship, and considers directions for research and practice.

Author

• Karen Pashby, University of Alberta