Citizenship is a thorny issue. It raises both ire and pride. People draw hard and fast lines, pledge loyalties to nations, and can often unite or fight quite savagely.
It is a precious thing to give the heirs of any citizenry a chance to shape wise thoughts about this complex issue at a young age. It will help prevent the knee-jerk reactions and ill-conceived fears that we have all had in our youth from crystallising into strict principles among stubborn, unchanging adults. Educational excursions give students a chance to measure what they have imbibed from their own culture about citizenship against foreign values and history, while appreciating their place in the citizenship of our one planet.
Berlin
Few places on earth are of greater relevance to the ideal of citizenship than Berlin. A study tour here will open minds and challenge assumptions. After the tumultuous creation of the German state, Berlin has witnessed a burgeoning modernist identity crisis, a crippling fascist ideology, and intense emotional and public debate on how a city and nation can identify itself in the spotlight of a post-WWII era. It is a great place for students to ponder what it means to have national fervour and how to be a constructive citizen in an ever-changing world.
China
China has long been famed in the developed world for having a long, homogeneous and rather autocratic imperial history. A study tour to this nation will reveal how its modern history raises many questions about a citizen's role in society. A visit to the Great Wall and Tienanmen Square, symbols from different eras of how autocracy enforces national identify, will humble students and make them ponder their own freedoms, measuring their worth.
New York
Students about to embark on a study tour to New York may picture glitz, glamour and high-fashion. But this iconic city is also the home of the United Nations headquarters and has played significant role in the history of the United States. This gives students a chance to see how both the past and future impact the concept of citizenship today. Not only that, the images of refugees and immigrants of yesteryear pouring into Ellis Island to start a new life will provoke them to think about how multicultural a nations citizenry can be.
South Africa
A study tour to South Africa will reveal to the discerning student the scars of citizenship. It was not so long ago that the country emerged, by the rallying call that was the life and voice of Nelson Mandela, from under the shadow of Apartheid. Simply trying to empathise with the sense of ostracism and brutal division between a nation's citizens will make students think deeply about the concept. Moreover, they will see the continuing impact this is having on the nation.
It is a precious thing to give the heirs of any citizenry a chance to shape wise thoughts about this complex issue at a young age. It will help prevent the knee-jerk reactions and ill-conceived fears that we have all had in our youth from crystallising into strict principles among stubborn, unchanging adults. Educational excursions give students a chance to measure what they have imbibed from their own culture about citizenship against foreign values and history, while appreciating their place in the citizenship of our one planet.
Berlin
Few places on earth are of greater relevance to the ideal of citizenship than Berlin. A study tour here will open minds and challenge assumptions. After the tumultuous creation of the German state, Berlin has witnessed a burgeoning modernist identity crisis, a crippling fascist ideology, and intense emotional and public debate on how a city and nation can identify itself in the spotlight of a post-WWII era. It is a great place for students to ponder what it means to have national fervour and how to be a constructive citizen in an ever-changing world.
China
China has long been famed in the developed world for having a long, homogeneous and rather autocratic imperial history. A study tour to this nation will reveal how its modern history raises many questions about a citizen's role in society. A visit to the Great Wall and Tienanmen Square, symbols from different eras of how autocracy enforces national identify, will humble students and make them ponder their own freedoms, measuring their worth.
New York
Students about to embark on a study tour to New York may picture glitz, glamour and high-fashion. But this iconic city is also the home of the United Nations headquarters and has played significant role in the history of the United States. This gives students a chance to see how both the past and future impact the concept of citizenship today. Not only that, the images of refugees and immigrants of yesteryear pouring into Ellis Island to start a new life will provoke them to think about how multicultural a nations citizenry can be.
South Africa
A study tour to South Africa will reveal to the discerning student the scars of citizenship. It was not so long ago that the country emerged, by the rallying call that was the life and voice of Nelson Mandela, from under the shadow of Apartheid. Simply trying to empathise with the sense of ostracism and brutal division between a nation's citizens will make students think deeply about the concept. Moreover, they will see the continuing impact this is having on the nation.
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