Programs & Events

Global Education Benchmark Group (GEBG)

The Global Education Benchmark Group (GEBG) is an extraordinary non-profit organization that "researches and establishes model practices in global education and supports member schools to bring global perspectives, global issues and global competencies into their teaching and learning."

 They hold dialogues every month on various topics that are globally relevant or at least should be. Their goal is to navigate Global Education in schools, and what they are doing is extremely important, which is why I love participating so much. I believe that actual education is just the start of change and awareness, amongst many subjects and matters. Ultimately, GEBG provides a safe space where people can come together to help shed light on many ongoing global issues.

GEBG Global Dialogue Session: Refugee Crisis in Ukraine (9/29/22)

  GEBG is an organization that I have partaken in multiple times, and which I admire very much. My passions are more geared toward mental health or climate change, but this specific dialogue was about the Refugee Crisis in Ukraine, an ongoing issue that was brought to the forefront of the news in the US but slowly taken away as it "got better." This began in late February 2022 after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Almost 8 million refugees fleeing Ukraine have been recorded across Europe. The main point of the dialogue was to bring light to the fact that this crisis is certainly ongoing. 

My zoom breakout room consisted of people mostly from the US, but some from India and Turkey. I listened and responded and came to the conclusion that most of the people from the US had similar points of view in the way that it has for the most part left the news. This, of course, was sad to hear and say, but it was true. We, as a group, talked about the past, present, and future, in relation to this subject. The past is important for history, the present is important so history does not repeat itself, and the future is what we are doing this for. Action is very important because although we aren't stepping into the fire, we can still help put it out. I enjoyed this dialogue very much because I would not normally sign up for one with a topic like this one. For this one specifically, I more listened and asked questions to continue my "research" on the subject, which is the sole purpose of a dialogue. I got a lot out of this and hope to continue supporting GEBG throughout my high school career as a Global Scholar.

GEBG Global Dialogue Session: Decoding the News (11/29/22)

Decoding the News is a realm that I did not know could be so complicated. I was very excited to partake in this discussion as I believe this subject is very relevant to my specific generation. The biggest contributing factor, in my opinion, is social media. We broke down all of the ins and outs of social media as being many people's source of news. We went into the involvement of politics, especially as generations develop and grow. 

The role of social media, family, and schools, as sources of our news and facts, are all key factors that play into the complexity of news. Another realm at the forefront of this subject was biased. As I conversed with others from Turkey, the US, and Romania, I began to piece together thoughts and conclusions that were soon able to resonate with a select few to then form their own and respond. It was definitely my favorite session so far, as I felt so strongly about this topic and was sure of the fact that each news story has multiple sides. We left the conversation somewhat open-ended, which models this topic perfectly because there surely is no right answer to this equation.

GEBG Global Dialogue Session: Mental Health in Schools (1/31/23)

Mental health is an important form of wellness that affects people around the world and should be prioritized in schools.  Mental health can cover social, emotional, and psychological well-being. The question at hand was, Are schools asking the right questions and providing the appropriate resources to meet the needs of their community members of all ages and backgrounds?

This GEBG Global Dialogue provided a safe space to be able to share personal perspectives about mental health's involvement with schools. I got to listen to other people's experiences locally and nationally. It was a good chance to destigmatize the discussion of mental health and bring up opportunities for change in our country, or even just our community. It all starts with a little change!

GEBG Global Dialogue Session: Censorship and Bias in Schools (3/23/23)

This dialogue was one that I was particularly more excited about. Bias and censorship in schools is something that is known, yet oddly not talked about. I had the pleasure of speaking with a group of young individuals, all from the US, about this topic. I shared many of my own experiences and ideas that seemed to resonate with some others' ideas as well. It was interesting to hear about the different perspectives of varying school experiences, especially public school versus private school. Private schools are not required to follow the federal or state expectations on censorship in school, which was something I was unaware of! The core of the discussion to jump-start it was the banning of books across the world. We opened the breakout room with the leading question, "Should certain books be banned from schools, and if so, what kind and why?"

I brought up the Day of Silence movement that our school's Pride Club hosts. It is a day of silence to represent the minority of the LGBTQ+ community and protest against discrimination. I was explaining that it could mean even more than just discrimination. The silence is meant for people to understand that it is hard to speak up in certain classroom situations when your community is not represented in the curriculum or represented in general, which relates directly back to censorship. Censorship and bias in schools do not necessarily always have to relate back to something bad, but breaking the silence and hearing diverse opinions on this matter is the core of the problem.

GEBG Global Dialogue Session: Gender Equality (12/4/23)

Attending an all-girls private school, gender equality in the education system is a bit different. I was able to bring this unique experience to this dialogue, as I also attended a co-ed public school, which looked very different. In an all-girls school, it is women who finish first, and women who finish last. We are the captains, leaders, public speakers, and presidents. I feel comfortable speaking up and not having a distraction from thinking about how the opposite gender perceives me. With that being said, this topic comes with many stereotypes, which is what my specific breakout room talked about the most. There were 8 girls, including me, 2 boys, and a women facilitator in my group. The boys provided support and posed curious questions to learn more on this topic. 

Gender Equality and stereotypes of boys vs girls in schools is mainly what we focussed on. We came to the conclusion that many of these issues still are relevant because people don't talk about them enough, and even more, people don't listen. It is important to play a game of "catch up" for women, but not do to men what we are speaking out about in the process. Hearing all of these girls, and even our facilitator's, experiences was so empowering. Although the things they shared were not happy, it was fulfilling to know I was not alone. The boys added depth to the conversation and we also added that it is not just the mistreatment of women that makes gender equality what it is today. There is even gender equality in people's homes, not just in schools and the workplace, and this dialogue led me to see that just because I don't experience this in school and in my family, doesn't mean it still isn't a huge issue.

GEBG Global Dialogue Session: The Influence of AI on the Global Sale (2/6/24)

This dialogue was run by one of my fellow classmates, and it was so empowering to witness. She asked if I could help her out, and although not brushed up on the subject, I agreed. This was my first time as a student facilitator, although the role fit right in with all of the other students.  Mrs. Moffat did a great job of posing questions and adapting the conversation to each student's answers. Especially for a topic as complex as AI, there are so many routes that could be taken.

To my surprise, the conversations flowed well. I wasn't sure if people would have enough knowledge or enough to say, but every single one of the students in my breakout room contributed at least one insightful piece to the conversation. This was one of the quicker breakout sessions, but I believe it was the right amount of time for the topic of AI. The biggest topic of conversation was ChatGPT, which has taken over students' academic lives across the world. With new developments every day, the AI world is unstoppable. But where is the line drawn? I didn't realize how much AI consistently affected my life every day. We talked about what life is like with it, what it would be like without it, and the pros, cons, and dangers. Even something as simple as accepting Cookies on a public website can have a lasting impact. The world is continuously evolving and nothing can slow it down, but is it for the better or for the worse?