Honorary Reporters

APCEIU-UNESCO and global citizenship in Korea: How did global citizenship lead me to Seoul?

2024-04-12

By Honorary Reporter Marbella Irais Ledesma Cardenas from Mexico
Photo by = UN Korea, UNESCO, APCEIU

In this article, I will explain how, thanks to APCEIU-UNESCO, I was able to attend the Advanced Workshop on GCED and the 8th International Conference on Global Citizenship Education in Seoul, Korea, during October 2023.

Photograph that shows my friend Kelly from Peru and me in the APCEIU's facilities, in front of the blocks of the Sustainable Development Goals, pointing to the objective “Quality Education”. Photography provided by the APCEIU's team (2023).

First, I would like to mention what Global Citizenship Education (GCED) is. GCED aims to teach and learn how to become global citizens. But what is a global citizen? Well, a global citizen is someone who, concerned about the global issues we face, takes an active stance in supporting their resolution through various activities from local to global levels. They adopt behaviors in line with values such as respect, diversity, empathy, among others, and are aware that these problems must be solved through cooperation among nations and through various lines of action.

"A global citizen understands how the world works, values differences in people, and works with others to find solutions to challenges too big for any one nation." UNESCO (2023).

And why is global citizenship education so important in Korea?

Located in Seoul, Korea, we can find the headquarters of the Asia-Pacific Centre of Education for International Understanding (APCEIU), which is a category two center of UNESCO. It was established in 2000 through an agreement between UNESCO and the Government of the Republic of Korea.

UNESCO APCEIU – United Nations — Photograph of the Asia-Pacific Centre of Education for International Understanding in Guro, Seoul, Korea. Photograph obtained from the United Nations site in the Republic of Korea (https://un-rok.org/about-un/offices/unesco-apceiu/, 2017)

Dedicated to promoting the construction of a culture of peace through Education for International Understanding and Global Citizenship, this center develops a variety of programs aimed at empowering learners to critically analyze the root causes of global problems. These programs also seek to foster interpersonal, social, and ecological empathy among learners, with the aim of better preparing them to collaborate in addressing these issues.

"The Asia-Pacific Centre of Education for International Understanding (APCEIU) promotes education for international understanding and global citizenship to build a culture of peace." (Mission and Mandate - APCEIU, 2024)

With this introduction, I would like to now share how I became involved in these programs, which led me to Seoul to participate in the GCED advance workshop and the 8th International Conference on GCED.

During my time at university, I participated in various extracurricular programs, including youth leadership programs and volunteering in various areas. This, along with my interest in continuing my studies in Korea due to its academic and technological excellence and my fascination with its culture, led me to be on the lookout for various opportunities. It was through a group of scholarships that I found the opportunity that would completely change my life: the "Seventh Youth Leadership Workshop on GCED" in 2021.

Under the theme "Media Information Literacy and Youth Empowerment," the training for young people aged 19 to 28 from various countries consisted of one week of self-paced preparation through its platform, followed by one week of live workshop (virtual mode), and concluded with a competition to receive mentorship and financial support for the development of a project focused on global citizenship education and media information literacy (MIL).

As one of the winners of this competition, that was just the beginning of my project "EDUXMET" focused on GCED and Quality Education, which led me to participate again in 2022 in the "Eighth Youth Leadership Workshop on GCED," the "Street Dialogues Project 2022," and the "7th International Conference on GCED (IConGCED)," all programs of APCEIU in which I participated virtually.

Photograph that shows one of the activities carried out as part of the APCEIU street dialogue program. Photography by Marbella Irais Ledesma (2022).

Thanks to the support of APCEIU, my project not only started but grew to the point where I was invited to be part of another learning experience. This time, it took place in person from October 16th to 22nd in Seoul.

Photograph of participants of the Advanced Workshop on GCED, within the APCEIU's education facilities, while holding their global citizens passport. Photography provided by the APCEIU's team (2023).

For each participant, APCEIU took care of covering all expenses related to flights, accommodation, meals, transportation and all the necessary during the workshop and conference. They also organized a variety of tourist and cultural activities for us to explore and learn more about this beautiful country.

Photo with my friends, on the tour organized by APCEIU to the Gyeongbok Palace in Seoul, Korea. Photograph taken with my camera by a kind stranger (2023).

The workshop and conference were an amazing and enriching experience that allowed me to meet (at that time in person) global citizens who lead transformative projects around the world, contributing to solving the problems we face today. Among the participants, there was a diversity of alumni from the past youth leadership workshops and teacher workshops organized by APCEIU, each with diverse backgrounds and coming from different countries. In addition to the knowledge gained in the workshops and the conference, interacting with the participants provided me with new perspectives, learnings, and tools that inspired me and will be useful to achieve my goals both in my project and in my personal life. For all that and much more, I will always be grateful to APCEIU and APCEIU's team, who work tirelessly. That is why they, APCEIU, and Korea will always have a special place in my heart.

Photograph of one of the workshop activities at the APCEIU's facilities, where the APCEIU's team and the participants of the advanced workshop can be seen. Photography provided by the APCEIU's team (2023).

So, if you are someone interested in solving the problems facing our planet or a teacher looking to motivate your students and improve education through global citizenship education (just to give a few examples), I invite you to participate in the various programs that APCEIU has for you.

*Now, the 10th Youth Leadership Workshop on GCED Call for Application are open until April 14, 2024 (KST)

Given that this article is lengthy, I will delve further into the Advanced Workshop on GCED and the 8th International Conference on Global Citizenship Education, as well as interview other international participants, in the next article.

Thank you for reading!

References:

What you need to know about global citizenship education. (2023). By: Unesco.org. Year (last update): 2023 URL: https://www.unesco.org/es/global-citizenship-peace-education/need-know

UNESCO APCEIU - United Nations By: Un-rok.org Year: 2017 URL: https://un-rok.org/about-un/offices/unesco-apceiu/

Welcome - APCEIU. (2024). By: Unescoapceiu.org. Year of consultation: 2024 URL: https://www.unescoapceiu.org/document/a001_en

APCEIU Who we are, Mission and Mandate By: Unescoapceiu.org. Year of consultation: 2024 URL: https://www.unescoapceiu.org/document/a001_en

Street Dialogue Project 2022 Reports - APCEIU By: Unescoapceiu.org Year: 2022 URL: https://www.unescoapceiu.org/post/4710

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