女儿在国际学校读书，最近学校组织学生参加一个 Global Issues Network 组织的会议。 这个会议专门邀请有成就的社会活动家来 给中学生们演讲。 谈他们的理想，他们从事的事业，他们对世界的看法。 会后，学生们有机会采访自己感兴趣的演讲人， 交流意见。
这个会议的发起者是前世界银行的一位官员，他相信全球很多共同关注的问题要靠独立的全球组织网络来解决，不能只依靠政府 和国际组织。 Jean-François Rischard 还认为， 我们每个人 应该首先是一个全球的公民， 然后是国家的公民， 最后才是本地的公民， 这和我们现在的秩序恰好相反。
“ We must develop new instincts and politics across the planet, whereby each of us is first a global citizen, second a national citizen, and third a local citizen. Right now, we have it the other way around. ”
女儿报名之前还有些犹豫， 觉得她自己其实对全球问题平时并不那么关心， 再说其他事也不少。
我鼓励她能去就去，听听人家讨论， 见识见识这些能干的有见识的人也是好的。 女儿便报了名参加会议。她事前在网上查找了几个会议发言人的背景情况，找了两个她最感兴趣的人预备会后做采访。 头天晚上，自己列了一个问题清单，准备工作很认真， 直忙活到后半夜。
女儿第二天成功采访了一位印度裔的慈善组织负责人，回来十分兴奋说， 这个人自己有整一套看待人生世事的哲学，她采访了她21 分钟， 问了她不少基本问题： 你的热情来自哪里， 如何才能克服 人性的自私， 等等。
接触这样一位女士， 对她的思想影响很大。 因为看到志愿服务工作的意义， 她现在计划署假也去 Global Hope Network 实习几个星期，我很为她高兴。
我也很佩服这位前国际组织官员， 想到这样的办法， 在学生中间进行全球共同关注问题的教育，让非政府组织的管理人直接把他们她们的思想行为传授给下一代。多好的主意！
在网上找到了这次会议组织者的介绍资料，先存在这里, 感谢他们以这样的方式影响年轻人的心灵。
The Global Issues Network has as its mission: to help students realise they can make a difference by empowering them to work internationally with their peers to develop solutions for global issues. Begun by teachers and students from six international schools in Europe , the programme is based upon High Noon: Twenty Global Problems, Twenty Years to Solve Them by Jean-François Rischard, former World Bank Vice-President for Europe .
Rischard describes imminent issues that can only be solved through global cooperation. Among these are water shortages, global warming, environmental degradation, infectious diseases, poverty, illiteracy, depletion of fisheries, peacekeeping, and the loss of ecosystems. Rischard notes that the existing institutions charged with addressing such issues, namely nation-states, government departments and international organisations, are self-serving, cumbersome and inadequate for the task. He calls for an alternative model of global governance based upon independent global networks that are flexible and super-responsive.
International schools already represent a network of independent organisations that co-ordinate their worldwide efforts toward a common purpose, and are therefore an excellent platform to apply Mr Rischard’s concepts. Students can be encouraged to think systemically about real issues while also taking action to improve the human condition. This approach involves collaboration rather than competition, where students assume leadership of their own programme. Their network should promote both face-to-face conferences and on-going communication via the latest technologies. |
We must develop new instincts and politics across the planet, whereby each of us is first a global citizen, second a national citizen, and third a local citizen. Right now, we have it the other way around.
It’s for these two reasons – the need for new, out-of-the-box methodologies and for a new mindset – that I am excited about the experiment started by some distinguished international schools. I can think of few educational projects as worthy of support. |
