Page 12 - YellowJacket Summer 2018

Global
Citizenship
Workshop
by Gene Rommel M. Batan, Counselor
With the world becoming a smaller place due to ever improving technology, transportation systems, and communication, it is important that the young adults who will lead our next generation are prepared. The United Nations Educational, Scienti c, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) recognizes this need and has created a program to help students and adults around
the world understand what it means to be a Global Citizen. The Global Citizenship Workshop was brought to
The Gilbert School after Gene Batan, a school counselor, attended a Professional Development opportunity in Miami, Florida sponsored by the International Universities Alliance (IUA). There, he and about 15 other counselors from around the country were able to partake in a 4-hour long Global Citizenship Workshop training course that created discussions about biases, cultural norms, open-mindedness, and effective communication skills. Being inspired by the topics covered during this workshop, Mr. Batan asked UNESCO and
IUA to hold a workshop at The Gilbert School for a mixed group of students of various high school grade levels and cultural backgrounds. It is also important to note that The Gilbert School is the rst high school in the United States to participate in the Global Citizenship Workshop.
During the 2-hour session, the students were exposed
to different ways of thinking and perceiving the world, the people in it, and themselves. At the end of the workshop, each student received a certi cate of participation that is recognized by many colleges and universities. Both students and staff agree that the workshop was very effective and useful for the students. In the future, Mr. Batan hopes to invite UNESCO and the IUA back to The Gilbert School so that the next Global Citizenship Workshop can be experienced by the faculty during one of the professional development days. The Gilbert School thanks UNESCO and the IUA for coming in to share their valuable information as well as their message of being kind and open-minded to our neighbors both foreign and domestic.
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