FreshAz Education New Zealand
Winner of
the DEANZ AWARD
Distance Education Association New Zealand,
by what's now known as the:
Keeping it 'FreshAz'
A tough ask!
Gatekeepers - parents calling the shots.
Keeping the education factor 'FreshAz' - no matter which field we're in, can create a few too many grey hairs. I found myself a while back, furious - with a team of parents on a Board of Trustees. They refused the BOYD factor - infuriating another team of parents, who duly felt their Board reps had no right to 'hold other families back'! Sadly, a bottom-line call held back the mental, physical and cognitive wellbeing of the whole school. Control went too far.
The beauty of being a 'FreshAz Education' company, is that we get to align with the most gorgeous partnerships who keep stuff real. The door's open, with the future in mind - and therefore, so too is something deal to FreshAz: Global Citizenship. It's a breath of 'FreshAir' by gatekeeping comparison. How so? We ensure that we focus on Global Citizenship. It's simply the world we live in. Mindfulness and knowledge being key - to ensure we respond with a heart at the centre of our ethos.
Global Citizenship
"In a marketplace that is increasingly globalised, New Zealand is a recognised trading nation, despite our remote location. We also have a role in international diplomacy that is much greater than might be expected for a small and distant country.
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...New Zealand’s ability to operate successfully on the global stage hinges on our being able to understand, communicate with and work alongside people from other cultures. A critical factor for the country’s future success will be to internationalise our young people. Fluency in other languages and a much better understanding of a wide range of cultures and their traditions is vital for New Zealand to conduct business and diplomacy successfully with the world’s major and emerging trading partners." Source
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The NZC and ERO feature 'future focused' references for schools. Nested within is Global Citizenship. So, how are we doing? What's FreshAz Ed's fun with this so far?
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Global Citizenship
"Global Citizenship Education (GCED) is at the cutting edge of 21st century education.
The concepts that shape global citizenship are global interdependence and cultural diversity – global citizens respect human rights, cultural diversity, peace and the environment.
Equipped with the values of rights, respect, and responsibility, students gain knowledge and understanding of global concerns while developing the competence, critical thinking, and cooperation skills to meet the challenges of a complex world.
GCED is about serving & equipping young people with the knowledge, skills and values to participate as active citizens." Source
A FreshAz Education 'GCED Audit'
September 2020
In plain English, for kids' sake (since they are our 'why we do what we do'):
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Global citizens are willing to help and cooperate with others. Our student partnerships see them as peer tutors of English, they're partnering with the UN - reporting on our alignment with the 16 SDG's - Sustainable Development Goals, they present themselves as NZ ambassadors, they're developing a 'whanau' atmosphere with one another - locally and globally...!)
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Global citizens have their own ideas and express them, but they are open to changing them if proved wrong. Our student connections are into human rights, leaderships, international communication and critique - enviro supports, historical impacts / Te Tiriti o Waitangi alignment - local community contribution & sponsorship - albeit with worms).
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Global citizens are curious and want to learn more about the world. Students with a FreshAz culture alongside them, see each one enjoying ePal partnerships with several different countries; teacher participation / influence with the countries along the Silk Road - and more recently - cultural exposure 'internationally', through key note speaker @ online international conferences (albeit online - in the middle of the night) including forum discussions etc.
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Global citizens look after the environment and don't waste things. The kids above are recycling, reusing / compositing, reproducing, repurposing, contributing etc.
All up, we're doing great!
Our 'next steps'? Become 'influencers' whereby they inspire others to join in and enjoy the 'ride'.
