NGOs, teaching staff and personnel from educational institutions share insights and experiences in the webinar

junio 13, 2022
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The ECIGAL Research Group and the NGO Solidarity International of Galicia organise a space where education professionals from various autonomous communities discuss critical and transformative education

Meeting: “Dialogue on Global Citizenship Education in Schools: Realities and Proposals”

The Grupo de Investigación Educación para a Cidadanía Global (ECIGAL) and the NGO Solidariedade Internacional de Galicia (SIG) called the afternoons of the 7th and 9th of June teachers, professionals from development organisations and staff from educational institutions throughout Spain are invited to participate in the webinar Dialogue on Education for Global Citizenship in Schools: Realities and Proposals. This meeting, to which 36 people registered, aimed to create participatory spaces for questioning and dialogue in order to gather new nuances and perspectives on Education for Global Citizenship and to share experiences that have been carried out..

The virtual meeting began with a presentation of the project by the research group’s coordinator, Renée DePalma, who then gave way to each of the team members to present the main results obtained by workstream. The lines outlined were subsequently analysed and debated in small groups of attendees, who concluded the discussion with hopeful messages regarding advances in ECG, its recognition within the curriculum, and the path forward. “Training is needed to implement a different type of education that builds critical citizenship towards a fairer world, towards a transformative education that raises awareness and understanding of the global social justice approach,” said one of the participants. “We need good political education, which is not provided by political parties,” emphasised another of those present.

Presentation on the Mapa Cénit mapping tool for experiences in Global Citizenship Education

In the second session of the workshops, the cartographic tool was presented Zenith Map of Global Citizenship Education Experiences, an interactive map created with the objectives of recognising and visibilising experiences, providing references for consultation and guidance to get started with ECG, offering resources, and building a community to reflect and move forward together towards new approaches. The team presented the work carried out on the project to date and the tool’s future growth objectives, thereby encouraging those present to join this community.

“The world needs you,” Haydée Castillo
The meeting ended with a “global surprise” for those in attendance. Haydée Castillo, a human rights defender in Nicaragua, spoke at the gathering with a motivational address on the responsibility of education professionals. “In the face of so much crime, you are invaluable people; the world needs you (…) We are living in rather complex times where human dignity is under threat. It is threatened by the market, organised crime, the drug trade… To us as educators, as members of this community, it is up to us to find a way to deconstruct this framework and enter into this dispute”, stated.

Speech by Haydée Castillo, human rights defender in Nicaragua

María Caride, representative of SIG, echoed Haydée Castillo’s words and ended the event on a hopeful note, emphasising that the message of building networks and working collectively was the most widely heard. “After two days of reflecting on how we work in the centres, what we can improve, and listening to testimonies that, although on a different level, deal with the same issues, we concluded that we are not divided; the problems are global and the solutions must be global. Each and every one of us contributes at our own level, and now it is our turn to contribute at the socio-educational level”, concluded.