The Fifth UM Global Citizenship Education Symposium

In the Fall of 2023 UNESCO Member States agreed on the revised text of the 1974 Recommendation concerning education for international understanding, co-operation and peace and education relating to human rights and fundamental freedoms. This document indicates how education should evolve in the face of contemporary threats and challenges: education should aim to be transformative, seeking to prepare, motivate and empower learners to take informed decisions and actions to promote peace, human rights, sustainable development and global citizenship.

What can you expect?

The theme of this symposium is transformative engagement: one of the pillars of the UM GCEd initiative and a key competence of UM graduates who will become tomorrow's leaders and changemakers. 

The event will begin on 23 May 2024, at 10:30.

Location
The Symposium is held in Tapijn Brasserie, Tapijnkazerne 20, 6211 ME Maastricht and EDLAB, Tapijnkazerne 23, 6211 KD Maastricht.

Registration
You can pick up your badge at the registration desk at Tapijn Brasserie. You can also select a ticket for the afternoon break-out sessions. These tickets remain available until the lunch break.

Morning programme (Tapijn Brasserie)
10.00 – 10.30: Registration
10.30 – 10.45: Welcome
10.45 – 11.30: First keynote
11.30 – 11.45: Break 
11.45 – 12.30: Second keynote
12.30 – 13.30: Lunch  
 

Afternoon programme (EDLAB)
13.30 – 16.00: Two rounds of break-out sessions
16.00 – 16.40: Plenary wrap-up
16.40u: Drinks

 

Keynotes

The first keynote will be delivered by Professor Martin Tomitsch, Head of the Transdisciplinary School at the University of Technology Sydney. Professor Tomitsch will offer insights into the design of the TD School’s transdisciplinary programmes and share his latest book, Designing Tomorrow, which focuses on life-centered design and tools and strategies for creating positive change.

The second keynote presenter is Professor Colin Wayne Leach, Professor of Psychology and Africana Studies at Barnard College, Columbia University in New York. Professor Leach, who has an academic focus on morality, protest and resistance, and interdisciplinary approaches, will discuss the place of protest in ethical citizenship in a global world. 

 

Break-out sessions

• Teaching Peace. Anne de Graaf (Amsterdam University College) will share inspiring examples of how to redesign courses and teach peace in a variety of contexts, including practical tips for student participation and co-created projects.

 

• Community Engagement. Martijn Weijenberg (Student Services Centre), Maartje Nollen (Brightlands Smart Services Campus) and Charlene Arsasemita and Emmanuel Merkus (Stichting Goed Volk) present varied perspectives on how we can collaborate with our (Eu)regional community on an equal basis to achieve a mutually beneficial outcome and allow our students to take first steps to become community leaders.

 

• Transforming Education Through Entrepreneurship: A New Role for Teachers!? Mark Govers (Health Services Research) will argue that to cultivate an entrepreneurial mindset, teachers themselves must transform. They must adopt innovative teaching strategies that promote problem-solving, risk-taking, and collaboration. This journey transforms the educational landscape, making learning a more engaging, relevant, and empowering experience for students.

 

• Tackling Global Issues Equitably. Manre Chirtau, a development practitioner from Nigeria, and Lisa Maza, a Dutch-Colombian peace and development practitioner, host an interactive workshop looking at how to democratize projects aimed at tackling global issues. They will be discussing how the processes of priority setting, implementation, and evaluation of outcomes can become more people-centered, power-equal and representative in the context of international collaboration, using real examples from the world of development cooperation.

 

• Transforming Education for Generation Alpha. In the late 2020s, Generation Alpha will begin entering universities. Casper Gardeniers, teacher at Porta Mosana, will bring some of his pupils to this break-out session devoted to exploring expectations and potential trends to consider given that Gen Alpha students are believed to be more tech savvy, entrepreneurial, and culturally and environmentally aware.

 

• Disinformation, the age of AI and the relevance of information- and digital literacy. In our increasingly complex digital world, knowing how to distinguish fact from fiction online is crucial, especially given the rapid developments in artificial intelligence (AI) technology. In this workshop, Anna-Lena Hoh (University Library) we will delve into the importance of critical thinking when it comes to disinformation, as well as the relevance of information- and digital literacy for Global Citizenship Education.

 

• Positive Eco-Psychology. Nicole Geschwind and Marjolein Hanssen (Clinical Psychological Science) explore how to use validated positive psychology exercises to help students deal with climate worry in an adaptive and pro-active manner that enhances not only their well-being but also their pro-environmental inclinations.

 

Creative goodbye – Find your GCEd spark

During a wrap-up session, Rene Bräuer (Educational Research and Development) will guide you through a powerful ideas exercise and help frame next steps ahead for us all, after which further discussion or collaboration can start over drinks.

 

You can find more information on GCEd at our website.