About the Matariki Global Citizenship Programme
About the Matariki Global Citizenship Programme
What should universities and their staff and students do/not do to support and develop global citizenship in education and research? What is the role of universities in the face of complex societal and global challenges? Global citizenship is a contested concept that deserves ongoing exploration, holding the potential to be a force for renewal for our universities as institutions that meet and address the emerging questions of the 21st century.
The Matariki Network of Universities’ (MNU) Global Citizenship Programme seeks to recognise this potential. A newly founded initiative, it aims to improve MNU partner universities’ capacity to be leading institutions in understanding global citizenship and educating global citizens. It also seeks new pathways for universities to critically explore their own implications, problems and potentials within the issues global citizenship encompasses. The Programme serves as an umbrella for a variety of multi-institutional activities in education, research and engagement, and aims to involve people and activities both inside and outside the university.
The Programme was launched in April 2016 with an international workshop at Uppsala University, bringing together a group of 27 faculty and students from six MNU partner institutions. During the four-day workshop, participants explored critical notions of global citizenship, shared work and experiences, and collaboratively proposed structures and content for the emerging Global Citizenship Programme.
Research
In itself, the Matariki Network of Universities promotes the development of joint interdisciplinary, innovative research. Our Global Citizenship Programme connects researchers across the network – staff and students – to explore global citizenship, and the three Programme strands: Empowering Learners, Community Engagement and Creating Spaces for Dialogue. Projects include joint research grant applications/publications, knowledge exchanges, and co-teaching initiatives.
The Three Programme Strands
The overarching ethos and direction of the Programme is expressed through three Programme Strands:
Empowering Learners;
Community Engagement;
Creating Spaces for Dialogue.
Programme Strands guide the ongoing development of the MNU Global Citizenship Programme and its activities, expressing the ethos and direction of the programme. They have been developed through discussion and dialogue by the MNU board, and faculty and students at different levels within MNU partner universities. As the MNU Global Citizenship Programme develops, additional strands are likely to be added.