ACS Hillingdon highlights what it means to be a global citizen
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ACS International Schools has announced the second event in its ‘What the world needs’ virtual event series. ‘The world needs…global citizens’ will explore what it means to be a global citizen, highlighting how everything we do – from the languages we speak and the actions we take, to the way we connect with our community and the environment – has an impact on both our local and global community.
Open to all interested in building a better, more sustainable future, ‘The world needs…global citizens’ will be hosted by ACS International School Hillingdon on Tuesday 9 February at 7pm GMT. The hour-long event will be facilitated via Zoom, with the line-up including; Michael Sheldrick, Chief Policy and Government Relations Officer at Global Citizen; and, Sarah, an ACS Hillingdon Grade 12 student who helps to run the school’s Global Citizen Diploma (GCD) programme, a unique qualification that recognises students’ service and citizen-related activities.
Each speaker will provide a different perspective on what it means to be a ‘global citizen’, delving into big global challenges and considering exactly what kind of citizen the world needs to contribute to a better, globally-connected tomorrow.
Martin Hall, Head of School, ACS Hillingdon, comments: “Our mission at ACS Hillingdon is to encourage every student to be an effective learner, a confident individual and a caring contributor – global citizenship is a key part of this objective. We recognise the need to think about how our actions make an impact on both a local and global scale and that so many causes can benefit from solutions created with a global mindset. The introduction of the GCD to our school’s offering, the first school in Europe to provide this qualification, is one step towards bringing more of a global outlook to our community.
“We look forward to hearing more from the exceptional speakers on Tuesday 9 February who will help us to expand this culture within our community and grow our understanding of what it truly means to be a global citizen.”
During the ACS Hillingdon event, Michael Sheldrick will discuss his education and career journey to becoming the Chief Policy and Government Affairs Officer for Global Citizen, an international advocacy group which provides a platform for young people to hold governments accountable on delivering the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Michael, who was instrumental in mobilising political and public support for the SDGs, will share his wide range of experience coordinating international campaigns with Global Citizen to generate support and action towards ending extreme poverty. He will discuss what a successful advocacy campaign requires and how young people of today can use their voices and take action to end extreme poverty – both now and in the future.
Sarah, a Grade 12 student and part of ACS Hillingdon’s GCD committee, will set the scene for the event by sharing her perspective on what it means to be a global citizen and why she believes this internationally-minded, culturally aware thinking is important for the world of the future.
The ‘What the world needs’ event series will see each of ACS’s three UK campuses highlight a different area of importance in the world of tomorrow. The series invites a range of speakers to consider how students will need to react to change in the future and how this may impact their career experience and wider lives for many decades to come. The first in the series ‘The world needs…adventurers’ was hosted by ACS Cobham in November 2020.
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