Global Awareness & Citizenship

In British Columbia, secondary school graduates are expected to attain attributes related to human and social development. These include:

• the knowledge and skills required to be socially responsible citizens who act in caring and principled ways, respecting the diversity of all people and the rights of others to hold different ideas and beliefs
• the knowledge and understanding they need to participate in democracy as Canadian and global citizens, acting in accordance with the laws, rights and responsibilities of a democracy
• the attitudes and competencies they need to be community contributors who take the initiative to improve their own and others’ quality of life

At Bodwell High School, we place particular importance on providing students with opportunities to enhance their human and social development. To do this, we focus on the areas of Global Awareness and Citizenship. Guided by the College of Charleston’s definition of Global Awareness (2001), this consists of three crucial aspects:

• interconnectedness: “an appreciation of interconnected worldwide environmental, political, economic, and social relations and their consequences”
• responsibility: “the recognition of a responsibility to participate in actively shaping those relations and consequences”
• involvement: “active and constructive involvement with global issues individually, through our communities, and in concert with people around the world.”

We all know that almost everyone is born into privilege of some kind, whether by social and economic class, race, skin colour, gender, mother tongue, or geographic location. It is our hope that all students can grasp the ways in which we each carry privilege, and gain a sense of the responsibility that this privilege should entail. This responsibility means using one’s privilege to help others who are less privileged; in other words, to make the world a better place.

To this end, we provide students with opportunities to enhance their sense of Global Awareness and Citizenship through:

• academic courses which explicitly allow exploration of issues of environmental and social issues
• extracurricular activities through which students can gain leadership skills and diverse experiences
• our school’s connection to our friends in Kenya, called the Rafiki Link
• awards which recognize service learning and citizenship
• our House System, which promotes values of social justice, nonviolence, multiculturalism, and compassion
• special school events, outings, and connections to community events related to social and ecological justice.

It is our vision that by providing these opportunities, graduates of Bodwell High School will be confident in their own cultural identity, respectful of others, capable of resolving differences and conflicts in a constructive and mutually beneficial manner, and proud of being responsible citizens of the world.