Go Global Programs
Website
Countr(ies)
Australia
Grade Level of Students Participating
Grade 8 to 10
Number of Students Participating per Year
100 students per year
Year Organization Began
1992
Relationship to the public education system
AEF works with public schools to develop students’ understanding of Asia by providing curriculum materials and teacher and school leader professional development.
Organization’s Vision and Mission
Mission and Vision:
Asia Education Foundation (AEF) provides school leaders, teachers and schools with curriculum resources, professional learning, innovative programs and networks to develop appropriate understanding, knowledge, and skills in youth in Australian schools.
AEF’s Go Global programs engage students with Asia and the world, helping them develop the skills required to navigate and succeed in a globally connected and culturally diverse world. They also help students connect what they learn in class with future education and career pathways.
Brief Description of Program Activities
Working in partnership with business, industry, government and community organizations, Go Global programs include the following activities:
- Go Global Ambassadors are highly-skilled professionals with global careers who share their personal and professional experience and highlight the competencies that helped them get ahead. They share their experiences and have discussions with participating students.
- Workplace visits where student visit organizations and workplaces to learn about different industries, organization and explore their future career options. The visits are hosted by Go Global Ambassadors.
- The Australia-ASEAN Youth Forum is a full-day program designed to deepen students’ understanding of the member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and Australia’s relationship with the region through mock United Nation format roleplay.
- The UN Global Goals Youth Forum is a new full-day program for Year 9 and 10 students, designed to deepen their understanding of global issues as well as Australia’s place in the world. Students will discuss the United Nations (UN) newly adopted Global Goals (also known as Sustainable Development Goals) and propose innovative solutions to achieve positive global change.
Program Content: Intrapersonal Competencies
The program aims to foster the intrapersonal competencies of personal and social responsibility and career orientation. Students learn about different industries and the roles played by Asia capacities through visiting workplaces and experience sharing by Go Global Ambassadors.
Program Content: Interpersonal Competencies
The program aims to foster the interpersonal competencies of teamwork, empathy and leadership. In the Youth Forums, students collaborate with each other to ideate solutions to global issues. Through role plays and debate, they develop the skills to work in a team, make decisions and take on different perspectives.
Program Content: Cognitive Competencies
The program aims to foster the cognitive competencies of critical and creative thinking such as developing arguments and identifying new solutions to problems; they also learn to use technology, from using innovative technological tools to research and collaborate with others to using technology to communicate and practice active listening.
Program Content: Attitudes and Values
The program aims to foster the attitudes and values of appreciation for cultural diversity or “global understanding” (as termed by AEF).
Program Content: Pedagogy/ Active Engagement of Students
The program engages students through experiential learning. Students collaborate as a part of a team before they participate in the forums and field trips. During the visits to workplaces, they see how people interact in a global environment. Particularly, for the ASEAN Youth Forum, an active learner-centred exercise, students are asked to represent and simulate a meeting between the leaders of Australia and the member nations of ASEAN. Throughout the day they will have the opportunity to present their country's’ position on some of the issues they, as nations and as a community, are facing; and discuss and propose solutions to these issues.
Additional Links of Note
Evaluation report for the “Asia Literacy Ambassador” program, which is what some parts of the Go Global program evolved from, 2012
Reference List
1 All information on this table come from AEF’s website and from a phone interview with Kurt Mullane, AEF’s executive director that took place in July 2016.
Prepared by
Vincent Chunhao Qian