Building Bridges: Students' Journey to Becoming Global Citizens

In an increasingly interconnected world, becoming a global citizen means acquiring a set of crucial abilities. These include a deep understanding of one's own values, an appreciation of diverse cultures and languages, effective interactions with people from various backgrounds, and a sense of responsibility for humanity and the broader society. These capacities collectively called intercultural competence, are essential for navigating the complexities of our globally interdependent society.

Through the IVECA virtual exchange, students embark on the incredible journey of obtaining and improving intercultural competence. Initially, many students enter IVECA’s virtual classrooms with simple perspectives, blindly differentiating themselves from others living in different countries or appreciating universally shared values without recognizing specific differences. However, as they engage with peers from around the world, something magical begins to happen. They transition from merely perceiving others based on their own viewpoints to actively seeking concrete commonalities and differences with their international peers.

In these virtual classrooms, students find common ground transcending cultural boundaries. It’s the simple connections that spark curiosity and unity. When a student from the United States shared their love for a famous K-pop group, a student from South Korea enthusiastically responded, "I did not know you liked K-pop, too! Have you ever been to a live concert?"

Similarly, a student from South Korea and one from the USA bonded over their favorite television show, Gilmore Girls, which happened to be filmed in the American students’ home state. They came to realize that though the TV production reflected their very different backgrounds, they shared similar interests. Through such interactions, students move from perceiving universal elements in their cultural worldviews to embracing the richness of diverse perspectives. This marks the first significant step on their journey toward becoming competent global citizens.

As these interactions continue, students progress naturally toward adapting and integrating with other cultures, thus broadening their understanding of the world. They develop an awareness that cultural diversity does not necessarily imply insurmountable differences. It's through these interactions that students learn to respect and celebrate the uniqueness of different cultures while also realizing the shared human experiences that connect us all.

At IVECA, the cross-culturally interactive journey empowers students to take the initial, vital strides towards nurturing the intercultural competence of global citizens, who can shape a brighter and more closely connected world ahead.

#IVECA #InternationalVirtualSchooling #InterculturalCompetence #GlobalCitizenship #GlobalEducation #21stCenturySkills #VirtualClassroom #VirtualExchange #GlobalFriendship #StudentInteraction

Thank You, Teachers!

October 5th marks World Teacher’s Day, a global celebration of how teachers transform education, improve the lives of their students, and impact our shared futures. Every day teachers change the world in both big and small ways.

UNESCO and Education International declared the 2023 theme, "The teachers we need for the education we want: The global imperative to reverse the teacher shortage". This year’s celebration aims to prioritize stopping the decline and increasing the number of teachers worldwide. To achieve this goal, the event promotes ways to better motivate, support and appreciate educators who play an important role in forming the hearts and minds of learners.

On this day especially, we at IVECA wish to extend our gratitude to our dedicated teachers around the world for their immeasurable value and undeniable contribution to our local and global societies.

Dearest teachers from around the world,

It is with the greatest respect and admiration that our team here at IVECA writes this letter. Truly, without your participation, your collaboration and your dedication, our mission would not be possible.

It is thanks to your hard work and your efforts, that we can reach classrooms in every corner of the world and the hearts of the students within them.

Over the years, we have had the privilege to work with teachers from over 25 countries in Asia, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, North and South America, and Oceania.

Despite the differences in our cultures and languages, we have been able to come together and achieve the shared goal of helping young learners around the world become compassionate global citizens.

In classrooms on every continent, IVECA teachers have started a chain reaction. Beginning with your decision to participate in our program, that reaction will continue to not only change the way your students interact with others in their communities, but also change the way they interact with the rest of the world for the rest of their lives.

For that, we cannot thank you enough. We look forward to the privilege of working with you all for many years to come.

#IVECA #InternationalVirtualSchooling #InterculturalCompetence #GlobalCitizenship #GlobalEducation #WorldTeachersDay #TeacherAppreciation #TeachersDay

IVECA Supports Teachers in Cultivating Global Citizens

As IVECA Fall semester begins, new teachers from South Korea, the United States and Sri Lanka came together this week for teacher professional development sessions to start preparing for a semester full of fun, meaningful intercultural activities with IVECA. While they were introduced to IVECA’s mission towards enriching students' lives as global citizens, the teachers shared greater enthusiasm and commitment to a successful semester.

Through the teacher professional development sessions, educators learn more about one another and IVECA. This session allowed teachers to understand the goals of the program while expressing their dedication and eagerness in helping their students become compassionate global citizens. One Korean teacher put it, “I hope that students will gain a deeper understanding of different cultures, perspectives, and global issues through interactions with students and teachers from around the world.”

Teachers also learned about guiding their students through cross-cultural communication with their global partners, broaching a wide range of topics such as artificial intelligence, natural resources, philosophy and more. Using the IVECA platform, students and teachers can share their experiences and views on such topics through multimedia posts and presentations.

Setting the tone for the rest of the semester, teachers shared engaging posts introducing themselves to each other, just as their students will in the coming days. One teacher expressed their excitement in “equipping students with essential digital skills and tools” to communicate effectively with their partners. Meanwhile, a veteran teacher from the United States shared her gratitude that the IVECA program provides her students in rural Virginia the opportunity to become global citizens despite their remote location.

With educators united in purpose and passion, this new semester promises to bridge divides and cultivate a generation of global citizens who truly understand and appreciate the cultural dynamics of our global community.

#IVECA #InternationalVirtualSchooling #InterculturalCompetence #GlobalCitizenship #GlobalEducation #21stCenturySkills #TeacherProfessionalDevelopment #TPD #FallSemester