The school systems teach reading, writing, math, history. These academic skills are important and provide valuable knowledge that students need to get by in the world. However, equally important are people skills: self-esteem, respect, understanding, cooperation, purpose, future vision, planetary stewardship - in other words, global thinking. In addition to learning how to read and write, kids also need to learn the skills that will enhance their personal well-being and the well-being of others.

A new project has been launched to address these objectives at a grass-roots level. It is the goal of The Global Citizenship Project to develop educational programs that will allow students to discover their potential as global citizens, and train them in the skills they can use to make a difference in the world around them. Through a series of classroom, family, and community projects, students will have the opportunity to participate in programs that enhance their self-esteem, promote tolerance and understanding of cultural diversity, foster communication skills and conflict resolution skills, improve health and well-being, enhance human and animal rights, promote environmental awareness and earth-friendly lifestyles, and encourage volunteering, community involvement, and long-term planning for future generations.

The basic tenet of the Global Citizenship Project is that the way to solve all of the problems the world is facing today is by training each next generation to think with global consciousness. Teaching each child as he or she is growing up to think in terms of respecting, valuing and helping themselves, their communities, and our planet as a whole. Teaching each child that we’re all in this world together, we all have a responsibility towards our world, and we all have something special to contribute.

Children are the future. When they come of age, they will be in charge of our governments, our resources, our environment, our social structures. The goal of the Global Citizenship Project is to help foster a generation of people who care, who take responsibility, and who cooperate for the common good of all.

Schoolteachers: If you’re a schoolteacher, please take a look at the suggestions below, and please consider using some of these activities in your classrooms. We also invite you to come up with your own "global citizenship" projects and send them to us so we can share them with other schools. We welcome your ideas, as well as news about any of your students’ humanitarian endeavors. Send your information to: GlobalPeaceToday@aol.com and type "School Projects" in the subject box. Be sure to include your name, the name of your school and your town, and the names of the students involved in each project. (Please send your ideas within the e-mail itself, as we do not open e-mails with files attached.) You may also send information by regular mail to: The Global Citizenship Project, P.O. Box 22, Mountain Lakes NJ, 07046-0022.

Here is just a tiny sample of the many creative ways you can encourage your students to develop "Global Citizenship" habits:

* Give children an awareness of the vocabulary of global ideals. Write the following words on the blackboard one by one and have the class brainstorm to come up with as many definitions and meanings for each word as they can: Love, Peace, Kindness, Respect, Cultural Diversity, Humanitarianism, Environmentalism, Altruism, Cooperation, Compassion, Empathy, Benevolence, Mercy, and any other words you feel are appropriate for this exercise. Encourage the children to think of real-life examples that illustrate each concept.

* Give each child a pocket-size notebook and instruct him or her to find ways every week to do something nice for someone else. Ask the students to keep a log detailing their activities and experiences all semester, and then write an essay describing what they learned from doing these good deeds.

* Assign each student to do research on a particular topic such as the dangers of cigarette smoking, the benefits of using environmentally friendly products, facts about drinking and driving -- the list is endless -- and have them present the material to the class to raise everyone’s awareness.

* Have students learn about the customs and traditions of a variety of cultures around the world. Understanding other people is the first step in erasing prejudice. (See the information about the movie "Remember the Titans," listed under "Family Projects." Viewing this movie with your students can lead to a classroom discussion about the methods used in the movie to overcome racism and prejudice.)

* One method of teaching children global consciousness and demonstrating to them that everyone needs to contribute to their community is to develop class projects that give kids a chance to participate hands on. For example, the class could clean up litter from a public park or beach, add a coat of fresh paint to their classroom, plant trees, write letters to local legislators on matters of community importance, draw pictures to send to patients at a veterans’ hospital, start a campaign to collect used eyeglasses or other necessities for people who can’t afford them, and so forth. Watch how the kids swell with joy and pride when they see how their efforts are appreciated by the community.

* Have each student write a biographical report about a different humanitarian role model, and then share the report with the class. Well-known figures such as Martin Luther King, Jr., Gandhi, and Mother Teresa can be included, but there are thousands of less well-known people who have made major contributions to the good of the world -- some may even live right in your hometown.

* To illustrate that every individual has the power to affect the world either for good or for ill, have each student do a biographical report comparing the lives of two people: One whose life was dedicated to helping others, and one whose life was destructive to others.

* Teach children to develop an awareness about and compassion for all of earth’s creatures. Have each student research a different animal, writing a report on their habitat, diet, characteristics (size, weight, appearance, lifespan), social habits (do they mate for life? do they communicate with each other through sounds or gestures? how do they care for their young?), skills and abilities (can they climb trees? run fast? build hives?). Also make sure each student researches why this animal is important to the ecosystem as a whole, and whether or not the animal is an endangered species.
      Studies have shown that most adults who commit acts of violence against other people often were cruel to animals as children. In fact, studies of prison populations show that almost none of the inmates had pets as children. But guess what happened when a group of inmates were given cats as pets? After they were released back into society, none of the men in this group ended up returning to prison, whereas 70% of most inmates generally do end up back in jail. (source: Diet For A New America, by John Robbins) Teaching kids to love and respect animals can play a direct role in how they end up treating people one day!

    * I met a teacher once years ago who came up with an innovative way to help his eighth-graders develop empathy for others: He bought a big, silly hat and brought it to school, and had a different student wear the hat in class each day. The rest of the class was instructed to "shut out" the child in the hat. No one was allowed to talk to the hat-wearer, and if the hat-wearer tried to initiate conversations or participate in any activities, the other children had to say, "We’re not allowed to talk to you. Go away."
     This exercise may sound a little bit mean, but it had a huge impact, because it taught each child first-hand what it feels like to be an outcast. Once the kids got a taste of how awful it felt to be rejected, they reported that it made them think twice before teasing or excluding other kids.
     After every student in the class has had her or his turn wearing the hat, leave the hat hanging in a corner of the classroom as a symbolic reminder. (Note: When doing this exercise, monitor your class carefully to make sure students are not becoming mean or abusive to the hat-wearer. They are simply supposed to exclude the child, not become "bullies." Also, be aware that some youngsters are extremely sensitive and may feel overly upset when it is their turn to wear the hat. If you think any child can’t handle the experience, stop the exercise at once. Finally, it’s a good idea to skip any children who are already the "class outcasts." These kids already know quite well enough what rejection feels like.)

* A great school project can be to have all of the students ask their family members, friends and neighbors to fill out an organ donor card. Every year thousands of people in need of an organ transplant die simply because not enough people bother to register as donors. Yet it only takes a moment to register, and such a simple act can literally save lives. Contact www.unos.org for more information.

* If something in your community needs improving, but there simply isn’t any money for the project, your school can do a variety of things to raise funds: hold a car wash, put on a show and sell tickets, sponsor a raffle, have a bake sale, and so on. When I was a child, there was a woman in my neighborhood who held a garage sale every month and sold donated items in order to raise money for a local animal shelter. Be creative. There are lots of ways your students can raise funds and contribute to community projects.

* During the holiday season, get kids and their families involved in giving gifts that help the community. For example, each school family could be asked to chip in one or two cans of food to donate to a local homeless shelter.

* For older students, you can invite adults involved in career paths that make a contribution to the world to come to the school and talk to the kids about their jobs. There are many professions that are geared towards contributing to the well-being of others, and if children are exposed to these options, it may spark their interest in pursuing a career that makes a difference in some way.

* Create a bulletin board, to be updated weekly, containing suggestions about ways ordinary people can get involved and make a difference in your community. Ask students to post their ideas. You can even have a "Topic-of-the-Month" bulletin board where people can share constructive opinions and ideas on a variety of social issues such as "How to reduce the number of high-school drop-outs," "How to decrease drug use in teens," and so forth.