Live Worldwise: A Look Back on DCB's Global Citizenship Programmes in Term 1

At DCB, our core mission to "Live WorldWise" extends beyond high performance and top achievements in academics, sports, and the arts. Global Citizenship (GC) provides meaning and purpose, fulfilling our vision to make a positive difference for people, society, and the planet.

To achieve this, we embed the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into our learning and follow five core Global Citizenship competencies to guide our journey in connecting with, caring about, and acting for all people on our planet. Throughout the school year, we celebrate IMPACT DAYS, which align with these competencies and provide opportunities for our community to engage deeply with global challenges and opportunities.

Here's a glimpse into how our community embraced global citizenship in Term 1:

International Day of Peace

In Term 1, we celebrated the International Day of Peace with a week-long series of activities centred around the GC competency: Diversity and Identity. This celebration fostered an environment of trust, encouraged open-mindedness, and highlighted how our collective diversity strengthens our community.

Highlights of the week included:

• Reading books about peace and creating classroom peace agreements.
• Student-led discussions and assemblies on embracing diversity and fostering acceptance.
• A peace garden planting activity to symbolise growth and unity.
• Morning peace-themed music to set a reflective tone for the day.
• Curriculum-linked peace discussions led by teachers.
• A dialogue wall where students expressed thoughts on peace-building.
• A lunchtime teacher-versus-student peace quiz show and daily classroom trivia.
• Folding paper peace cranes as a symbol of hope and harmony.

This week of engagement inspired our community to value diversity and strengthened the identity competency of empowered global citizens making positive changes in their world.

No Carbon November

Our second Impact Day of Term 1 focused on the GC Competency: Sustainability through a month-long initiative, No Carbon November. The theme, Pledge to Nature, emphasised supporting biodiversity and sustainable living.

Each week featured a unique focus—Plastics, Power, Plants, and Pledges—with daily challenges and learning activities encouraging students to protect the planet, consume responsibly, and act as sustainable global citizens.

Highlights of the month included:

• Upcycling plastic containers into plant pots
• Campus-wide efforts to reduce energy consumption, including "Switch Off the Lights" campaigns
• Creating posters showcasing local birds and insects
• Building birdhouses and insect hotels to support biodiversity
• Reducing food waste competitions and plant-based food challenges
• A student-led GC dialogue wall for sustainability reflections
• Plant-growing competitions
• Harvesting of vegetables grown in our College Garden
• Establishing a Rewilding area on campus as a "living laboratory" for biodiversity and sustainable land management practices.

This month-long celebration empowered our students to connect, care, and act for the planet, demonstrating their commitment to sustainability through impactful learning and actions.

Expert Training

Early in Term 1, we had the privilege of hosting a workshop with Bliss Browne, a Yale, Harvard, and Northwestern alumna, award-winning changemaker, and founder of Imagine Chicago. Bliss led our students in a powerful training on citizen leadership, equipping them with skills to maximise their impact in collaboration with our local partners.

Our students engaged in global citizenship actions daily, with countless activities taking place in the classroom, connected to the curriculum, and extending beyond it. From creating sustainable projects in the classroom or during lunch to measuring food waste and ecological footprints or participating in CCAs, students are empowered to make a positive impact on our school community and the planet.

New Community Partners

As part of our college priorities this year, we are strengthening connections with local community organisations to deepen students' global citizenship experiences and foster meaningful engagement in advocacy campaigns, direct action, and service projects. These partnerships provide students with opportunities to connect, care, and act, empowering them to address community needs while developing leadership skills and growing as global citizens.

By linking global issues explored in class to local challenges, students recognise the interconnectedness of our world and the impact of their choices and actions. Through the curriculum, CCAs, and CAS, students actively collaborate with partner organisations to create positive change, exemplifying Active Citizenship, one of our five core Global Citizenship competencies.

Below are just a few examples of the many ways our students connect with the local community as global citizens.

Our Learning House

We have several Years 7-9 students who have been visiting and supporting Our Learning House, a community school and rehabilitation centre providing a safe and caring environment for orphans with physical disabilities in the Maquanying area of Chaoyang District, Beijing.

The Giving Circle

With guidance from biodiversity expert Terry Townshend, students have been learning about sustainability and conservation. This partnership has supported us in joining the Pledge for Nature Network, a significant step in our month-long No Carbon November initiative. The Giving Circle played an integral part in supporting our students in establishing a Rewilding Project.

Paws Love

Partnering with Paws Love, a volunteer-run organisation that promotes animal welfare through adoption, medical treatment, shelter, and a successful trap-neuter-release program, students are actively advocating for animal welfare. Our CAS Students have been making posters for advocacy campaigns and indirect service-running fundraisers to support the organisation with further plans for onsite weekend volunteering.

HongDanDan

Hongdandan, a professional organisation for the blind, is dedicated to empowering the visually impaired through visual storytelling and advocating for a more inclusive and supportive society. Our students have continued the legacy of Project Visionary, where they previously developed and printed financial literacy materials in braille. This year, a new group of students is collaborating with the organisation to create additional learning resources on various topics to further support students with visual impairments.

Dew Drops

Our renewed partnership with Dew Drops, an organisation providing medical and post-operative care for orphans and children from low-income families, has given students meaningful opportunities to connect with the children, fostering empathy and joy. CAS students prepared donated toys for the children and designed posters using Universal Design principles to raise awareness during the Christmas Bazaar. While promoting Dew Drops' monthly financial support program, they are also encouraged to explore the children's challenges more deeply, ensuring their active citizenship goes beyond fundraising to create a meaningful impact.

Fun Farm Fam

Through our ongoing collaboration with Fun Farm Fam, a local organic and sustainable farm and education centre, DUCKS students engage in hands-on learning about sustainable farming while contributing to the design and development of our college garden project. This partnership provides leadership opportunities as students gain insights into running a successful and sustainable enterprise inspired by the farmers' expertise. Students visit the farm and host farm staff on campus to support the creation, design, and management of our garden. This continued collaboration has been highly successful, fostering sustainability learning, connections to nature, and alignment with the SDGs. It also promotes mentorship and teamwork across DUCKS, Junior School, and Senior School students, strengthening a sense of community.

At DCB, we remain steadfast in our dedication to embedding sustainability and global citizenship across our community. Every staff member plays a vital role in teaching and modelling what it means to live as responsible global citizens. By listening to our students and continuously reflecting on our practices, we strengthen our understanding that even the smallest actions can create ripples of positive change locally and globally. Together, we embrace the interconnectedness of our actions and strive to inspire meaningful contributions to people, society, and the planet. With a dedicated focus on embedding these values into every aspect of DCB life, we continue to ensure that our students are empowered to connect, care, and act as changemakers in our school and beyond.