Learning to Lead Sustainably: Global Classrooms in Action

Across continents and cultures, students in IVECA’s international classrooms are diving into this semester’s projects with one shared purpose: to imagine a better future for their communities and the world. From sustainable cities and thriving oceans to inclusive societies and creative environmental solutions, each class is exploring how small actions can inspire global impact.

Through every project, students are discovering how local realities connect to shared global challenges. In Cameroon, China, Mexico, Korea, and Singapore, high school students are stepping into the role of city planners, envisioning greener, more livable communities. Others in the United States and Korea are critically investigating the delicate relationship between oceans and life on Earth, learning how every drop of water connects ecosystems and people across the planet. Meanwhile, Mexican and Korean students are exploring global partnerships for sustainability, reflecting on how cooperation between nations and between young people fuels real change.

Middle school students have also joined this mission in creative ways. Students from Korea and Singapore are becoming eco-travel ambassadors, highlighting the beauty of natural landscapes and the importance of responsible tourism. In Colombia and Korea, learners are turning green ideas into action, designing local projects that link environmental challenges to culture, art, and daily life. Young participants from India and the U.S. are crafting Youth Manifestos for Change, advocating for more inclusive, sustainable cities led by their generation.

Even elementary students are contributing to this global conversation. Through storytelling, classes in Colombia and the U.S. are following the journey of water, blending science and imagination to understand how this essential resource connects people everywhere. One teacher shared, “I believe these topics will give knowledge and inspire students on how to create a sustainable future in our city.”

Such reflections highlight what makes these activities meaningful. Each project, whether through research or creativity, invites students to see themselves as active participants in shaping a better world. Guided by empathy, curiosity, and cooperation, they are not only learning about sustainability, they are practicing it through dialogue and creativity.

These explorations capture the essence of IVECA’s mission: empowering learners to think critically, act compassionately, and collaborate across borders to build a sustainable future. Whether designing new cities, protecting oceans, or reimagining societies, students are discovering that change begins with awareness and grows through connection.

#IVECA #GlobalCitizenship #SustainabilityEducation #YouthForChange #ConnectingClassrooms #SDGsInAction

Eighty Years of Hope: How Education Keeps the UN Vision Alive

Eighty years ago, the world made a promise to rise from conflict and create a future built on peace, dignity, and cooperation. Today, as we celebrate the United Nations’ 80th anniversary, that promise continues to guide us. United Nations Day reminds us not only of the institution’s founding, but of a continuing human endeavor: to understand one another and to work together across borders and beliefs. For IVECA, this vision is more than history; it’s a living mission. Through intercultural education, global collaboration, and mutual respect, IVECA helps students turn the ideals of the UN into a daily reality. Every virtual exchange, every shared story, and every act of listening becomes a step toward the world the UN envisioned in 1945, a world united not by uniformity, but by shared humanity.

This week also marks Global Media and Information Literacy Week, a fitting companion to United Nations Day. Just as nations must cooperate to preserve peace, individuals must learn to navigate the digital world with wisdom and care. In an era overflowing with information, knowing how to think critically, question sources, and listen across cultures has become essential to global citizenship. 

​​Through its programs, IVECA empowers students to develop these crucial skills, recognizing bias, valuing truth, and using media ethically as a tool for understanding rather than division. When people learn to exchange information with empathy and respect, the screens that once separated them begin to transform into bridges that unite them.

Simultaneously with Global Media and Information Literacy Week, Disarmament Week begins on October 24, deepening the call for peace. If media literacy teaches us to disarm ignorance, disarmament itself reminds us to disarm fear. True peace requires more than the absence of weapons; it depends on the presence of trust. Within IVECA’s intercultural classrooms, students practice this kind of disarmament every day by listening before judging, questioning with respect, and reaching across differences. Through education, they learn to “disarm the mind,” transforming misunderstanding into mutual respect. Peace begins in thought before it is realized in the world, and IVECA helps plant that seed in every learner.

From this spirit of peace and trust flows another observance, World Development Information Day, also held on October 24. On the same day the world honors the founding of the United Nations, it also reaffirms that development must be guided by knowledge and cooperation. Information, when shared responsibly, fuels progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals and uplifts communities everywhere. In this same spirit, IVECA helps students connect their local realities to global challenges, engaging with topics such as clean water, quality education, and climate action. Through these projects, students discover that the heart of development is not only about improving conditions, it is about expanding understanding, empathy, and collective purpose.

Together, these observances remind us that education is the foundation on which peace and progress stand. United Nations Day calls us to unity, Global Media and Information Literacy Week teaches us discernment, Disarmament Week inspires trust, and World Development Information Day reminds us to act with knowledge. IVECA carries all these ideals forward, transforming them into lived experiences that connect young minds and hearts worldwide.

As this meaningful week unfolds, let us also make a vow to stay awake. Awake to misinformation that divides, awake to voices that deceive, awake to the power we each hold to speak truth and build peace. In staying awake, we protect not only the integrity of information but the integrity of humanity itself.

#IVECA #YouthEmpowerment #CulturalExchange #GCED #UNDay #GlobalCitizenship #PeaceThroughEducation #MediaLiteracy #SDGs #InterculturalLearning #EducationForPeace #DisarmamentWeek #WorldDevelopmentInformationDay

IVECA Welcomes First-Time Participants: Cameroon, Singapore, Indonesia & South Carolina, USA

Former United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon once said that a Global Citizen is any individual who can “look beyond the national boundaries and act in solidarity.” This Fall, new schools and countries are joining the IVECA program for the first time, bringing with them fresh perspectives and unique experiences. These students are collectively taking their first steps toward understanding the world beyond their own border and becoming true global citizens. 

For many students, the global citizenship path begins early on, sparking curiosity as awareness of the world around them develops. A group of 6th-8th graders from Green Middle School begins their IVECA journey for the first time from South Carolina in the United States, ready to explore the world beyond their own. Their projects this term will follow the lead of the 2026 UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Partnership Forum, emphasizing how the next generation envisions and contributes to a fairer, more sustainable future. As one student emphatically shared with his partner, “My dream is to make a difference in the world, not just in America but all over the world. I want to inspire young children who struggle with finding how to be themselves and to inspire other people.”

Meanwhile in Singapore, Sekolah Indonesia Singapura’s participation marks a historic first—representing both Singapore and Indonesia by joining the IVECA program. The Indonesian students living abroad already experience life in two different countries, and their participation adds valuable cross-cultural perspectives to the program’s international dialogue. While describing to their partner what it is like to live outside of their home country, one student shared, “I like living in Singapore because it is safe, clean, and filled with people from many cultures. At the same time, I feel proud to be an Indonesian citizen.” Through their projects, the Indonesian students will have an opportunity to reflect on and share how living between two cultures has shaped their unique understanding of global issues and international cooperation.

Across the world, Cameroon is also joining the IVECA program for the first time with significant insight and perspectives from the nation often described as “Africa in Miniature” thanks to its vast cultural diversity. At Government Bilingual High School Bamendakwe, students are engaging in cross-cultural discussions with their global partners, exploring the importance of sustainable development and safe, inclusive urban spaces. “As a Cameroonian, I feel proud of our cultural richness, traditional foods, and strong family values,” a student expressed, “I also see myself as part of the global community, where we can learn from one another and work together for a better world.” The students from Cameroon are bringing local knowledge, creativity, and innovative contributions to the international dialogue and collaboration.

These students embody the vision of global citizenship Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon described: individuals who can look beyond national boundaries and engage with one another in meaningful, impactful ways. Through their collaboration with partners around the world, students are learning about more than sustainability and global challenges; they are actively becoming future leaders, thinkers, and changemakers who will shape the future.

#GCED #WelcometoIVECA #IVECA #GlobalCitizenship #GlobalCitizenshipEducation #NewParticipants #Cameroon #Singapore #Indonesia #SouthCarolina