Global Citizenship

What is a "global citizen?" First of all, a global citizen is one who knows his or her country very well. He or she knows his or her country's history, culture, demographics, politics, etc. The global citizen also learns about other cultures outside of his/her country. In becoming more globalized or internationalized, the global citizen is one who has learned to become more open-minded and accepting of people who are different from themselves. Is this more difficult for the Japanese who have grown up in a more homogeneous society surrounded by a safe and predictable environment? How can ILHA help them to modify their perspectives to recognize the similarities and differences between themselves and others? And rather than being reuplsed or fearful of these differences, acknowledge the differences and learn and appreciate them?

There are certain key attributes all global citizens possess. The I-Lion Hawaii school curriculum focuses on five of these important attributes, and each of our lessons is tailored to the study of one of the attributes. Through classroom and field activities, students are given the opportunity to explore the meaning and importance of these attributes, learn a little more about the world, and perhaps even learn more about themselves. When the student devolops these key attributes, the student is ready to take on the role of a global citizen. The global citizen can take on the role of peacemaker because he or she can bridge diferences by helping others to understand those differences and similarities. The global citizen is aware of the world happenings and trends that affect society and thus can hlep the society in which he or she lives by being the "pacesetter" in the commmunity. The global citizen can function anywhere and in any society because he or she can adapt and survive in unfamiliar situations.

More importantly, if the student can understand what each attribute means, how the attribute can be applied to situations, and finally embodies each attribute into his or her own mindset, then that student will have a high probably of succeeding in life irrespective of whether the student is a global citizen or not.