The Scotland Malawi Partnership (SMP) is the national civil society network coordinating, supporting and representing the people-to-people links between our two nations. They represent a community of over 109,000 Scots with active links to Malawi.

Youth and Schools Officer, Luisa Brown, talks to us about what being a global citizen means to her and how SMP are championing Global Citizenship Education through their work.

What does being a global citizen mean to you?

I think it’s very much about seeing yourself as a citizen of the world, as if we were one big country. It’s about thinking as a collective, making decisions in the fullest possible knowledge of how it affects ourselves and others – and therefore everything that we see around us, including the planet. It’s about being aware and responsible, showing understanding and respect for different cultures and ways of living, and always striving for maximum possible cooperation. It’s about recognising what you were born into, and how that affects how you might think about the rest of the world.

I often work with young people to think about what might you be like, think like, or speak like if you happened to be born in Chile, Pakistan, or maybe even Malawi. How do you think you might be different if you had not been born in Scotland, and how might you speak to that person?

Why do you think Global Citizenship Education is important?

There has never been a more important time to educate ourselves in global citizenship - young and old. With globalisation, the internet and international travel all fast-tracking us towards an incredibly connected future, it is imperative this happens with an openness, understanding and respect for each other’s different experiences of the world that we find ourselves in.

Equally, the existential threat of climate change is something that faces us all. To combat this shared crisis together, it demands that we focus our development towards a more just and equal society for all people. Why do borders and boundaries actually matter so much when we have something that equally connects us and which we must work against urgently?

I think we can and must live peacefully, and that includes responding to all our needs, as well as those of the planet. It can definitely be done, and it’s just about changing our systems and attitudes fast enough. What we need are young empowered global citizens from every single country in the world, to drive us there as fast as we can possibly get there. 

How does your organisation champion Global Citizenship Education?

At the Scotland Malawi Partnership, we try to champion Global Citizenship Education in many different ways. Most recently in March of this year, we held our annual Youth Festival where we launched a plethora of different resources exploring lots of very relevant topics. We had many people contribute towards this, such as Keep Scotland Beautiful, Scotdec, WOSDEC and Fair Trade Scotland. One resource looks at whether David Livingstone was a global citizen, whilst others explore topics such as social enterprise for equitable partnerships, fair food, and global learning through film. They also include our very own resource, What Does Race and Equality Mean to You; a guide to exploring this question with teenagers and their wider circles at home. These resources are all downloadable from our website and I’d really encourage you to engage with them!

What do you think Scotland's future would look like if GCE was embraced by all of our schools?

I definitely think that Scotland would lead the way with a new generation that can really champion the definition of a young global citizen. We have the power to allow our young people to become the leading voices on this, moving us towards this change that we so desperately need. Every country in the world needs to act as a global citizen.

If you are interested in exploring a school partnership with Malawi, feel free to drop Luisa an email, and don’t forget to check out the Youth Festival resources here!