Fostering Global Understanding: Teachers' Test Session Experience

In preparation for the upcoming IVECA Live Class sessions, teachers from Colombia, India, Korea, and South Africa convened virtually to ensure a smooth and meaningful intercultural exchange for their students. This collaborative test session went beyond Live Class lesson preparation and technical checks; it became a space for mutual understanding and support. 

A heartfelt moment unfolded during the session when a Korean teacher shared that, although her students were enthusiastic and had dedicated themselves to preparing meaningful presentations, they felt anxious about speaking in English, a language they are still learning. They were afraid of making mistakes in front of their international peers, despite their sincere efforts.

In response, her partner teacher from South Africa, who was familiar with Korean culture and had previously worked there, acknowledged the students' feelings with genuine warmth and understanding. He shared that his students were well aware of how challenging it can be to express themselves in a foreign language, and they held deep respect for their Korean peers who were willing to take that brave step. To them, this effort wasn’t seen as a struggle, but as a powerful act of determination, and a meaningful example of what true global connection looks like in action.

This reflects the true essence of intercultural exchange: embracing one another with empathy, curiosity, and respect. It’s about recognizing the effort behind every word spoken in a foreign language and meeting it not with judgment but with patience, encouragement, and heartfelt appreciation. Through this mutual understanding, students learn that communication isn’t just about language; it’s about the courage to connect.

As the Live Class sessions approach, this meaningful collaboration among teachers reflects how empathy and a shared sense of purpose lay the foundation for impactful global learning.

#IVECA #TestSession #LiveClass #GCED #GlobalCitizenship #VirtualExchange #InterculturalCompetence #Korea #India #SouthAfrica #Colombia

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