10 Easy Steps to Raising World Citizens

8. Where was it made? Even young children can be introduced to basic facts about the global economy and the global production system. One simple way to do that is to connect the clothes on their backs to where they were made. Children can also trace the origin of common household items and learn how they were assembled. Locate these nations on the map and find out about their culture. More in-depth lessons might explore the lives of workers who made these items, some of whom are children.

9. Discover the United Nations. Despite its flaws, the United Nations is the dominant international organization of our time and has united people from all over the world in many critical efforts. It also provides many great resources. For example, take a ride on the CyberSchoolBus (www.un.org/Pubs/CyberSchoolBus)
and learn more about the U.N.’s history, its 192 member nations and important global causes. Also, introduce your children to other international organizations that link countries and cultures.

10. Stay on top of the schools. Encourage and support schools to introduce and expand global studies programs. Applaud those who champion such programs, and work to convince and persuade those who do not.

There are many ways to raise world citizens. As parents who have seen, for better and for worse, how well our own children can mimic behaviors, we’d like to offer one last bonus suggestion: Always keep in mind the power of your example. Stay curious about your world. Seek new and different perspectives. Converse with those who are different. And, perhaps most important, offer examples of ways to translate values into action. After all, tomorrow’s world citizens must not only understand their world, they may be called upon to save it.

J. Michael Adams is president of Fairleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey, where Angelo Carfagna is director of communications. They are co-authors of the book Coming of Age in a Globalized World: The Next Generation (www.nextgenerationbook.com).