WorldWise Global Schools

BACKGROUND

WorldWise Global Schools is the national programme for Global Citizenship Education in post-primary schools. WWGS is an Irish Aid funded programme that is being implemented by a consortium comprising Self Help Africa, Concern Worldwide and the Curriculum Development Unit of the City of Dublin Education and Training Board.

The programme was established in 2013. Since then, the programme has worked with over 350 post-primary schools nationwide, in pursuit of our aim to integrate Global Citizenship Education into all aspects of teaching and learning at post-primary level. We do this by providing a comprehensive range of supports and interventions for schools — including grant funding, training, events, resources and personalised support from our staff team.

Global Citizenship Education (GCE) is a powerful vehicle through which we can better understand the world we live in, and take action to change it as informed global citizens. It equips both educators and learners with the knowledge, skills and values to act ethically and sustainably in a world that is both complex and highly interconnected.

CURRENT PROJECTS

The first core element of WWGS programme is capacity building, outreach and support – including training and events for students and teachers, and tailored school support visits. Secondly, the programme provides financial support to schools, school networks and NGOs, through the Annual Grant Call. Thirdly, the programme provides a variety of tools, frameworks and curriculum-based resources to enable a whole-school approach to Global Citizenship Education. One of the key frameworks that have been developed by the programme is the Global Passport Framework and Award.

The Global Passport Award is a Global Citizenship Education (GCE) quality mark, which offers schools a framework to integrate GCE into all aspects of school life. The framework demonstrates to schools how Global Citizenship Education is whole-school appropriate and provides step-by-step guidance on how to integrate GCE through all aspects of school life, ranging from the curriculum to school policy and ethos. It is a self-assessed and externally audited accreditation for GCE that is open to all post-primary schools in Ireland. Schools rate their level of GCE activity in 6 categories (passport ‘stamps’). Each Passport Stamp represents a different aspect of school life. The total score achieved in all 6 stamps will determine which of the three passport types is awarded. The award is then presented at the Annual WWGS Student Conference.

The 3 different types of Global Passport Awards that schools can apply for are:

• The Citizen’s Passport Award – for emerging engagement with GCE
• The Diplomatic Passport Award – for established engagement with GCE
• The Special Passport Award – for exceptional engagement with GCE

The Global Passport Award Programme has been running since 2015 with over 180 schools being awarded. Our website provides plenty of inspiration for schools to get started and to learn about what is happening in other schools around the country.

The Global Passport Award provides:

• A pathway for students to explore and take action on local to global issues
• An externally audited GCE quality mark for schools
• Validation and recognition for the GCE work being done in schools across Ireland
• The opportunity to raise school profiles by showcasing and celebrating GCE

Find out more at: https://www.worldwiseschools.ie