Reimagining Our Relationship with Nature

Every year on May 22, the United Nations observes the International Day for Biological Diversity, a reminder of the richness of life on Earth and our responsibility to protect it. In 2025, the theme “Be Part of the Plan” invites everyone to prevent biodiversity loss and shape a future where humans and nature can thrive together.

Biodiversity covers nearly every part of our daily lives, from the pollinators that help grow our food to the wetlands that filter our water and protect against floods. It shapes the ecosystems we rely on for clean air, medicine, and climate stability. Today, that web of life is under strain. With species disappearing at an alarming rate due to climate change, pollution, and unsustainable practices, the call to “be part of the plan” has never been more urgent.

At IVECA, this day’s significance resonates through the virtual classrooms that unite students from across continents to learn about and from one another. Students build global awareness through intercultural collaboration and examine real-world challenges like biodiversity loss from multiple perspectives.

In alignment with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, IVECA integrates environmental education into its curriculum, encouraging students to explore the significance of biodiversity in their local contexts and beyond. Through projects focusing on water conservation, climate change, globalization, and environmental health, students examine the impact of human activities on ecosystems. These interdisciplinary projects foster a detailed understanding of the delicate balance required to maintain biodiversity and cultivate the cultural awareness needed to explore diverse solutions to shared environmental challenges.

Beyond the classroom, IVECA reinforces its commitment to fostering global citizenship and environmental stewardship by bringing together students, educators, and global leaders to discuss and promote sustainable practices. IVECA has organized and participated in UN parallel events, such as the 2022 Multistakeholder Partnership Model: Global Citizenship Education for Clean Water and Clean Energy and the 2023 UN SDG Summit Follow-Up Event on Greening Global Citizenship Education.

This blend of scientific inquiry, intercultural dialogue, and action-oriented learning is central to IVECA’s mission. It reflects a broader understanding that protecting biodiversity is not just a scientific task, but a social, ethical, and cultural one as well. By helping students connect local issues to global contexts, IVECA fosters a generation of learners ready to “be part of the plan” for biodiversity and a more sustainable world.  

#IVECA #VirtualExchange #InterculturalCompetence #InternationalDayForBiologicalDiversity #GCED #SDGs

Educating for Coexistence: IVECA’s Role in Advancing Peaceful Living

Each year on May 16, the United Nations marks the International Day of Living Together in Peace with a reminder of the global commitment to reconciliation, acceptance, and mutual understanding. While global leaders gather to discuss conflict resolution and diplomacy, it is often in classrooms, physical or virtual, where the seeds of enduring peace are truly sown. IVECA exemplifies this by transforming global education into a journey of empathy, intercultural understanding, and collaborative problem-solving. Beyond cultural exchange, IVECA’s work resonates with a deeper, often overlooked dimension of peacebuilding: creating daily experiences of equity and mutual respect among youth from vastly diverse cultural backgrounds.

What makes IVECA’s approach uniquely aligned with this UN initiative is its emphasis on "living together" as a learning experience. Students in IVECA programs do more than discuss peace—they practice it. By collaborating on real-world challenges related to climate change, cultural inclusion, and digital ethics, learners embody peacebuilding through respectful disagreement, co-creation, and intercultural reflection. This kind of learning fosters cognitive empathy—the ability to see the world through another’s lens—which is essential for conflict prevention. By making intercultural collaboration routine, IVECA cultivates a mindset where diversity becomes an asset, not a division.

Another dimension of IVECA’s impact is how it prepares students for “peaceful digital coexistence.” In a world where online hate, misinformation, and cultural clashes abound, IVECA models a new form of digital diplomacy. When students collaborate on projects and share virtual spaces respectfully, they’re not just learning about other cultures—they’re learning how to be present and interact with others in virtual environments, a critical skill in today’s global society. Such participation helps build true peace and reflects the global citizenship that the International Day of Living Together in Peace seeks to inspire around the world.

As the world grapples with division, initiatives like IVECA offer a compelling reminder: peace is not a static goal but a dynamic process, cultivated one conversation, one collaboration, and one classroom at a time. On this International Day of Living Together in Peace, we are reminded that the classrooms of today shape the peacemakers of tomorrow—and that virtual spaces like IVECA are vital infrastructures for a more peaceful world.

#IVECA #InterculturalCompetence #VirtualExchange #InternationalDayofLivingTogetherInPeace #UnitedNations #SDGs #GlobalCitizenshipEducation

From Theory to Practice: Strengthening Global Learning

Following an inspiring first session where teachers explored the ethical use of AI for global good, the second professional development training took it a step further, diving into the theoretical foundations of IVECA’s intercultural exchange programs. Educators from India, Korea, China, South Africa, and Colombia reunited, this time exploring how cultural identity, mutual respect, and guided dialogue shape meaningful global learning.

The session centered on the intercultural principles at the heart of IVECA: fostering “Intercultural Communicative Competence” (ICC). Teachers discussed how students don’t just learn about other cultures—they learn with one another, building cultural awareness, developing empathy, and acquiring the linguistic and cognitive skills necessary to communicate and collaborate effectively and appropriately across cultural contexts.

These principles are brought to life through IVECA’s unique online learning structure, where meaningful exchanges unfold through posts and interactive replies that challenge, affirm, and connect. A teacher from South Africa noted how IVECA’s emphasis on critical thinking aligns with their own curriculum—where students are encouraged to analyze not only written texts but also visual cues in order to interpret their meaning from various angles.  This shared focus across contexts highlights how the program builds on what teachers are already doing and help students foster deeper intercultural understanding through reflective observation, perspective-taking, and open-minded inquiry.

Guided by IVECA’s team, teachers also explored how the “Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity” (DMIS) unfolds step-by-step. The model outlines how individuals progress in their understanding of and interaction with cultural differences—moving from denial or defense, through minimization, and eventually toward acceptance and adaptation. As students participate in IVECA’s structured activities, they are gradually exposed to cultural differences in ways that encourage curiosity, reduce bias, and solve issues effectively From beginning to notice cultural similarities to celebrating diversity, the IVECA exchange offers the space for the intentional growth needed to become interculturally competent global citizens. 

One teacher from Colombia reflected on how guiding students to consider the ways their behavior might be perceived by international peers became an opportunity to move beyond their own cultural norms and begin respecting different perspectives. Moments like these demonstrate how theory is put into practice, deepening students’ intercultural sensitivity.

The second half of the session focused on applying these theories into practice in the preparation for the upcoming Live Classes. Teachers walked through how this synchronous element of the program enables students to use their intercultural skills in real-time, showcasing their cultures through creative expression and being able to appreciate their peers’ perspectives. 

As the program moves forward, the dedication of participating teachers continues to shine. With strong theoretical foundations and global virtual teaching strategies in place, IVECA’s intercultural exchanges are set to make a powerful impact—not only on student learning, but on how young people view, understand, and engage with the world around them.

#IVECA #GlobalCitizenship #TeacherProfessionalDevelopment #ICC #DMIS #InternationalEducation #VirtualExchange #CulturalExchange