Empowering Global Citizens

upon a UNESCO handbook published in 1948 that presented a frame—
work for peace education (Maurette, 1948). Over time, the International
Baccalaureate Organization grew to offer a primary—years program, a mid—
years program, and a high school diploma. Core components of the high
school diploma program include the following: an independent research
project that students conduct, resulting in a substantive paper that re—
flects an in—depth understanding of a topic, and a subject called “theory
of knowledge,” which was designed to help students understand the rela—
tionship among the various subjects and to reflect on alternative ways of
knowing, with a focus on the areas of natural sciences, human sciences,

arts, mathematics, ethics, and history.

The midyears program emphasizes holistic learning, intercultural awareness,
and communication. The focus is on approaches to learning, community
and service, human ingenuity, health and social education, and environ-
ments (Hayden 8C Thompson, 2011).

The primary program emphasizes interdisciplinarity in the studies of iden—
tity, one’s location in space and time, communication, understanding the
world, understanding human organization, and understanding the planet.
These themes are explored through the study of six subjects: languages, so—

cial studies, mathematics, arts, science, and personal and physical education.

In 1962 Kurt Hahn, a German educator, established the United World
College (UWC) of the Atlantic in South Wales. His goal was to foster in~
ternarional understanding among students between the ages of sixteen and
twenty from diverse countries through a shared residential pre—collegiate
educational. The explicit goal of the United World College is to foster peace
and sustainability. The organization has expanded to fourteen colleges lo—
cated in different parts of the world. The curriculum goes beyond imparting
knowledge to its students and actively promotes a series of values aligned
with international understanding, including valuing differences, personal

responsibility and integrity, mutual responsibility and respect, compassion

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