A meeting of students from School Down Under, a semester-abroad program in New Zealand that partners with Global Village School. / Photo Courtesy of Global Village School

The Environmental and Social Responsibility Amendment (ESRA) articulates a clear call for a much-needed type of education – one that prepares youth to live as socially and environmentally responsible citizens of the world. It defines the kind of education required to provide them with “the appropriate scientific, ethical, and behavioral knowledge and skills required to assure the long-term environmental sustainability of the planet Earth.”

Global Village School, an accredited, non-profit, international K-8 and high school distance-learning diploma program, embodies the vision the ESRA articulates for education. Founded in 1999, Global Village School (GVS) prepares young activists by incorporating peace, justice, diversity, and sustainability education into the core curriculum. A typical Global Village School high school course poses the kinds of questions that provoke dialogue on issues of environmental and social justice.

For example, students taking GVS’s U.S. Government and Economics courses grapple with questions such as: How are international monetary policies affecting the world? How are these policies impacting the lives of indigenous people, the welfare of “less developed” countries, the state of the environment? And then, more specifically, they may be asked to ponder what the real cost of that pair of basketball shoes is – what natural resources were used, who made them and under what conditions? Does the purchase of that bargain item support a government or corporation engaging in human rights abuses? In addition, students learn about inspiring role models and effective strategies for social change.

For most of its history Global Village School has worked primarily with homeschoolers, but the recently developed K-8 “Whole Child, Healthy Planet” curriculum is also being used by private and charter schools. This visionary curriculum is centered on the four core principles of the Earth Charter: (1) Respect and Care for the Community of Life; (2) Ecological Integrity; (3) Social and Economic Justice; (4) Democracy, Nonviolence, Peace and Diversity.

Global Village School focuses on preparing students to have a positive, lasting impact on the world around them. For example, Michael Preston, age 27, is honing his skills as a spokesman for the Winnemem Wintu Tribe while at UC Berkeley. When he was younger, Mike didn’t see the importance of school or getting his high school diploma. While at Global Village School he had his eyes opened to the value of gaining skills now in order to have options later. “GVS gave me a platform to stand on and move on with my life…to move forward and upward.” Getting serious about reading and writing produced unexpected results for Preston, who has been asked to speak out on issues facing his tribe. He co-produced a radio show and has written articles for publications such as Indian Country Today. Currently, he is involved in the production of a movie about the tribe’s efforts to protect their sacred grounds and restore salmon to the local waters.

In addition to – or as part of – their core academic studies, Global Village students pursue a wide range of interests and activities. For example, Issa, a 10th grader who splits his time between Istanbul and Berkeley, CA, earned high school credit for independent studies in Sufism, ethnomusicology, Contemporary Jewish Studies, Persian, and the study and performance of Islamic Devotional music. Karl, an 12th grade Iranian-American of the Baha’i faith, recently completed an engineering internship in the United Arab Emirates. He spent many hours this past year working with an after-school crafts and character education program for disadvantaged youth in Alabama. And Martina, an 11th grader from New York, recently assisted her filmmaker parents with a documentary about 92-year-old civil rights and anti-war activist George Houser.

GVS graduate Jesse Aizenstat, age 25, went on to earn his degree in political science at the University of San Diego. Jesse worked as a journalist in the Middle East after graduation and lists his current occupation as “Intellectual Insurgent for Peace.” His book about his travels, Surfing the Middle East, was recently published as one of the first enhanced iPad ebooks.Aizenstat also writes a blog called Blogging the Casbah wherein he uses levity and humor to help relay the common man’s perspective on conflicts in the Middle East.

Aizenstat says about American education: “It is extremely rigid and seeks to confine the student with a regular curriculum. Global Village School reverses that by presenting options and asking, ‘with your skill set, how would you express this?’ It’s a risk to ask a student ‘what do you feel passionate about?’ and then really listen to the answer.”

Sally Carless is an educator, writer, photographer, and the founding director and Chief Visionary Officer of Global Village School. Enrollment in Global Village School is open to K-12 students (and adults wanting to complete their high school diploma) around the globe. To learn more about Global Village School, you can visit www.globalvillageschool.org or write to info@globalvillageschool.org.