Global Citizenship Education Resources

Mapping the Ecosystem of Global Learning

Global Citizenship Education (GCED) is not a single program or method — it’s a living movement.
Across continents and disciplines, educators, artists, and change-makers are working to prepare learners not only for the global economy, but for shared planetary life.

This page brings together organizations, initiatives, and thinkers shaping that movement.
Some work at the policy level, others in classrooms or communities. Together, they form a constellation of practice — a global dialogue about what it means to think, learn, and act as citizens of an interconnected world.

Use these links as gateways. Wander, connect, and notice the questions that emerge.

Foundations and Frameworks

How the world is defining and advancing GCED

  • UNESCO – Global Citizenship Education
    The foundational hub for GCED worldwide — articulating key competencies, learning objectives, and the ethical vision behind global citizenship.

  • UNESCO Asia-Pacific Centre of Education for International Understanding (APCEIU)
    The leading center for GCED research and teacher training. Offers open courses, policy briefs, and international collaboration programs.

  • OECD – Global Competence Framework
    Defines global competence as a measurable capacity in education — integrating intercultural understanding, knowledge, and action.

  • UN SDG 4.7 Hub
    Focuses on the Sustainable Development Goal that embeds GCED and Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) in education systems worldwide.

  • Oxfam Education: Curriculum for Global Citizenship
    A practical framework for schools — linking global issues, empathy, and active citizenship through inquiry-based pedagogy.

Organizations and Initiatives

Connecting learning, empathy, and action

  • The Geographical Imaginations Expedition & Institute
    An independent initiative led by educators and storytellers exploring the connections between place, imagination, and global citizenship. Through participatory research, narrative mapping, and public pedagogy, the Institute invites learners to reimagine the world — and their role in it — from the local to the planetary scale.

  • Teach SDGs
    A global network of teachers integrating the UN Sustainable Development Goals into classroom practice through inquiry, storytelling, and community action.

  • The Earth Charter Initiative
    An ethical framework for building a just, sustainable, and peaceful global society — rooted in interdependence, ecological integrity, and shared responsibility.

  • Facing History & Ourselves
    Combines historical analysis and ethical reflection to help students connect past injustices with contemporary civic challenges.

  • Global Oneness Project
    Multimedia storytelling exploring cultural diversity, ecological interdependence, and moral imagination through film, photography, and written narratives.

  • Ashoka Changemaker Schools
    A global network recognizing schools that empower young people to lead with empathy, creativity, and systems thinking.

  • Peace First
    Supports youth-led social action projects worldwide — connecting civic courage, problem-solving, and compassionate leadership.

Research, Theory, and Critical Perspectives

Understanding the ideas shaping GCED

  • “Global Citizenship Education: Topics and Learning Objectives” (UNESCO, 2015)
    The foundational guide to GCED learning outcomes, designed for policymakers and educators.

  • Douglas Bourn — Understanding Global Skills and Citizenship Education
    A key text linking global learning to social justice and sustainable development.

  • Vanessa Andreotti — Soft vs. Critical Global Citizenship Education
    A landmark paper distinguishing between feel-good cosmopolitanism and deeper, critical engagement with power and inequality.

  • UNESCO — Rethinking Education: Towards a Global Common Good? (2015)
    A vision paper reframing education as a collective responsibility for humanity and the planet.

  • OECD Education 2030 — Future of Education and Skills Framework
    A global research initiative redefining competencies for sustainable and inclusive societies.

Creative, Regenerative, and Systems Approaches

Integrating imagination, complexity, and ethics into GCED

  • The Cloud Institute for Sustainability Education
    Futures thinking and regenerative design for educators — cultivating “the sustainability mindset” through systems and scenario thinking.

  • The Systems Thinking Playbook
    (Linda Booth Sweeney, Donella Meadows, Dennis Meadows)
    Accessible, experiential exercises that teach the foundations of systems literacy and pattern recognition.

  • Emergent Strategy Ideation Institute (adrienne maree brown)
    A community of practice around adaptive, relational, and transformative change — connecting personal growth to social movements.

  • Global Generation (UK)
    A regenerative education project linking young people, ecology, and urban sustainability through creativity and storytelling.

  • The Systems School
    Professional learning programs integrating systems thinking, design, and leadership for social impact.

Digital Collections and Open Courses

Explore GCED through stories, data, and dialogue

  • UNESCO Global Citizenship Online Course (APCEIU)
    Free, self-paced online modules introducing the principles and practice of GCED for educators and youth.

  • Global Goals Curriculum Project
    A collaborative initiative offering classroom frameworks for linking the SDGs with local inquiry projects.

  • TED-Ed: The Global Classroom
    Curated short videos and discussion guides exploring big questions around culture, identity, and sustainability.

  • World’s Largest Lesson
    Engaging classroom resources and campaigns linking youth learning to the Sustainable Development Goals.

Connect, Contribute, Collaborate

Global Citizenship Education is not a single discipline — it’s a shared practice of reflection and relationship. It grows through networks of trust, creativity, and collaboration.

If your organization, project, or classroom is exploring similar themes — critical reflection, intercultural dialogue, systems learning, or regenerative futures — we’d love to include you in this map of connections.

Submit a Resource: askaskasktheworld[at]gmail.com

Together, we can keep expanding the commons of global learning — building an education that not only informs, but transforms.