On 23 May 2024, Maastricht University's Symposium for Global Citizenship took place for the fifth time.

This year's event, held under the theme Transformative Engagement, drew educational staff from various universities and institutes, as well as students, to explore the implementation of transformative engagement in higher education.

The day began at Brasserie Tapijn with two keynote lectures. First, Professor Tomitsch, Head of the Transdisciplinary School at the University of Technology Sydney, presented online from Australia on how life-centred design tools and strategies can create positive change. Following this, Professor Leach from Columbia University delivered an engaging talk on the role of protest in ethical global citizenship.

After a brief lunch break, participants moved to EDLAB for two rounds of breakout sessions, where they discussed and practised different aspects of transformative engagement on various topics. 

Below are summaries of the workshops from the perspective of our student ambassadors:

Breakout Session 1:

• Teaching peace with Anne de Graaf
• Positive eco-psychology with Nicole Geschwind & Marjolein Hanssen
• Preparing for Generation Alpha with Caspar Gardeniers
• Transforming education through entrepreneurship: A new role for teachers?! with Mark Govers

Breakout Session 2:

• Community engagement with Martijn Weijenberg, Cheyenne Dohmen, Maartje Nollen, Charlene Arsasemita
• Tackling global issues equitably with Lisa Maza & Manre Chirtau
• Disinformation, AI, and the relevance of information and digital literacy with Anna-Lena Hoh

The day concluded with a "Creative Goodbye" session, facilitated by René Bräuer. This short session used music and creative writing to help attendees find their own Global Citizenship Education (GCED) spark to take back to their teaching and learning activities.

Participants and presenters then had the opportunity to meet and network informally in the sun and greenery of the park outside the EDLAB buildings, enjoying delicious snacks and drinks before heading home after an inspiring event.
 

On 22 June 2023 the 4^th UM Global Citizenship Education Symposium was opened in the Feestzaal of the Law Faculty of Maastricht University by Herco Fonteijn. This year’s Symposium highlighted intercultural conflict in higher education. The first keynote speaker, Eleanor Brown, addressed critical pedagogy in higher education and issues related to decolonisation of the curriculum. In a second keynote, Wiel Veugelers focused on moral education and citizenship.

Participants could choose between different break-out sessions to deepen the discussion around relevant topics and bring their own voice into the process. These included - amongst others - diving further into decolonisation of the curriculum, looking into citizenship for sustainability or exploring the teacher student relationship in GCEd. Participants could also explore practical skills for dealing with intercultural conflict through improvisation theatre or non-violent communication, experience a VR cultural awareness exercise or they could join a lively brown bag session devoted to UM’s Woke as Science podcast.

The day was closed by an engaging panel discussion of the Faculty liaison officers, highlighting GCEd related developments within UM faculties, bringing the different threads together and inviting the audience to look forward. After a full day of program there was time to keep the discussion alive and network over drinks and snacks. Altogether the event was a success with people from different backgrounds bringing in their expertise and perspective on the wide topic of Global Citizenship Education.

A special thanks goes out to all the contributors to this day, especially the GCEd Working Group for their ongoing engagement over the years, the Law Faculty for making their premises available and our student ambassadors, who were supporting the event, presenters and guests at any given point.

Below you will find the slides to this year's presentations and sessions

• Symposium opening
• Session | Citizenship for sustainability Part 1 & Part 2
• Key note | Global Citizenship in Higher Education by Eleanor Brown
• Session | Transdisciplinary Education Part 1 & Part 2 & Part 3
• Key note | Theory, Policy and Practice of Moral Education and (Global) Citizenship Education by Wiel Veugelers
• Workshop | Teaching for Professional Development by Dylan Vianen
• Session | Introduction to Nonviolent Communication by Francesca Lemme
• Session | Building character strengths through Improv by Annika Nübold & Eliza de Sousa Fernandes Perna

Adapting to the needs of our times during a pandemic, we held the 3rd Symposium on Global Citizen Education (GCEd) on May 21st 2021 online this time. More than 80 people, students, staff and stakeholders came during this first online Symposium.

After the greeting words of UM Rector Dr. Rianna Letschert, the event was kickstarted by a panel discussion. For that we had the pleasure to welcome Dr. Pascal Frank, from the University, Institute of Environmental and Sustainability Communication, Dr. Laurence Guérin from The Hague University of Applied Science, Centre of Expertise Global and Inclusive Learning and Dr. Lutz Krebs from the Maastricht Economic and Social Research Institute on Innovation and Technology.

After setting the tone for the event with this inspiring discussion, the interactive part of the afternoon began. Participants could choose from three different strands, including a World Café, a workshop or open spaces to network.

During the World Café participants could dive deeper into topics such as the international classroom in the next normal, student agency and co-creation, continuous professional development for GCEd, ethics and social responsibility, creative problem solving in social and sustainable entrepreneurship, and digital citizenship within a small group discussion space, moderated from staff of UM and Hogeschool Zuid Maastricht. The idea is that problems can’t be solved from the perspective they arise. It needs diverse perspectives as well as empathy in order to name the challenges on the one hand, and find solutions in cooperation on the other.

Alternatively, participants could join a workshop on online improvisation theatre to develop empathy in a more practical way with Fabian Brüggemann.

The day was rounded up with a keynote from Dr. William Gaudelli from Leigh University, College of Education on “Reforming post-secondary education in a global era”.

It was a challenge and a pleasure for us to organise a Symposium online while keeping the options for diverse discussions and networking open and available. People expressed a lot of gratitude to create this space for connection and exchange, which made it possible for people not only to attend during the time of a pandemic, no matter where they are, but to keep the discussion alive.

This 2nd Symposium on Global Citizen Education was under the umbrella of Empathy: a topic rather fitting given the fact that this second Symposium took place at Novotel in Maastricht on 13 March, only one day before Netherlands went into lockdown because of COVID-19 pandemic. Within the GCEd framework, empathy belongs to the social responsibility and normative competence pillar and describes the ability to understand individuals from their framework of thinking, feeling and behaving, rather than one’s own.

As GCEd itself is a contested concept and means different things in different contexts, part of this Symposium was to give a stage to the different perceptions of what GCEd means within the educational context, for teachers, for students and for stakeholders outside of the university bubble in the starting panel discussion.

Well-rounded was the afternoon with small group interactive sessions moderated by UM and external experts on topics including empathy, GCEd and sustainable development, ethics and integrity, GCEd and wellbeing, digital citizenship, implementing GCEd, assessment of GCEd competences, and initiating student projects. Examples of those which have been implemented in extracurricular education projects as well as student initiatives over the past two years since our first Symposium in 2018 where presented on posters between interactive session and inspired the discussion further. The day finished with the opportunity for networking over some snacks and drinks.

Global citizens in the making: The first GCEd Symposium 2018

On 1st March 2018, the long-awaited Global Citizenship Education (GCE) Symposium was organised at the Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience. Maastricht University’s students, staff, and community stakeholders came together to discuss the role of global citizenship in higher education.

The uplifting presentation of UM’s Rector Magnificus, Rianne Letschert officially launched the GCE Symposium. A panel discussion followed, consisting of international, national and local professionals, each representing their organisation, including Marieke Brugman from “UNESCO Associated Schools Project Network”, Kate Robertson, co-founder of “One Young World”, Mardoeka Christiansen from TRAJEKT and Roos van Amstel, representing “de Bildung Academie. All, without exception, gave inspiring discourses. Their projects and initiatives convinced us of the importance of being a global citizen.

Following this thought provoking start, participants started engaging in a design thinking session to trigger co-creation with the UM staff, and students. The audience, divided into eight groups and pressured by time, had only one hour to come up with some ideas of how they would implement GCE in UM. Not only did people from different backgrounds shared insights on how to address GCE in UM education; it was also a moment where all barriers were broken down between students, professors and community stakeholders in order to cooperate and achieve fruitful ideas. All groups presented their thoughts during a wrap-up session and as promised, the Symposium ended with drinks and snacks. The path to becoming a Global Citizen could not have been more engaging!

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