Messages

My dearest colleagues, esteemed educators, and passionate advocates for Global Citizenship Education,

As we gather for the GCC Regional Hubs Summit 2025, I extend my warmest greetings and deepest encouragement to each one of you. The theme, “Promoting Cultures, Connecting Minds, Transforming Futures: Advancing GCED through Whole School Approach,” resonates profoundly with the very essence of our mission. In these dynamic times, the imperative to foster global citizens who understand, appreciate, and contribute to a more just and sustainable world has never been greater. 

This summit is a vital platform for us to share our successes, learn from our challenges, and collectively strengthen the whole-school approach to GCED. Let us seize this opportunity to ignite new ideas, forge stronger connections, and reaffirm our commitment to shaping futures where empathy, critical thinking, and global responsibility are paramount. Your dedication is the bedrock of our progress, and together, I am confident we will achieve remarkable outcomes. 

Mabuhay! 

To our distinguished participants, dedicated educators, and partners in Global Citizenship Education,

It is with immense pleasure and anticipation that I welcome you to the GCC Regional Hubs Summit 2025. The theme, "Promoting Cultures, Connecting Minds, Transforming Futures: Advancing GCED through Whole School Approach," perfectly encapsulates the holistic and integrated vision we champion for GCED. This summit is more than just a gathering; it is a convergence of brilliant minds, a testament to our shared commitment to cultivating global citizens within every facet of our educational institutions. As Deputy Director, I am continually inspired by your innovative spirit and tireless efforts. May this summit serve as a powerful catalyst for deepened collaboration, insightful discourse, and the refinement of strategies that will embed GCED seamlessly into the very fabric of our schools. Let us embrace this opportunity to learn, to grow, and to collectively transform educational landscapes for the betterment of humanity.

A warm welcome to all delegates, facilitators, and champions of Global Citizenship Education!

As the Project Lead for the GCC Regional Hubs Summit 2025, I am incredibly excited and proud to welcome you all. Our theme, “Promoting Cultures, Connecting Minds, Transforming Futures: Advancing GCED through Whole School Approach,” is not just a slogan, but a guiding principle that underscores the transformative power of our collective endeavors. 

This summit has been meticulously crafted to be a space for rich exchange, innovative thinking, and practical application. We have an unparalleled opportunity to delve into how a whole-school approach can truly embed GCED, fostering environments where cultural understanding flourishes, minds are broadened, and futures are shaped with purpose and global awareness. Your active participation, shared experiences, and insightful contributions are what will make this summit a resounding success. 

Let us learn from each other, inspire one another, and leave this summit energized and equipped to drive meaningful change in our respective communities. Thank you for being here, and let the conversations begin! 

Welcome to Pangasinan State University!

It is with great honor and heartfelt enthusiasm that I extend my warmest greetings to all participants of the GCC Regional Hubs Summit 2025.

Hosting this significant assembly of educators, leaders, and supporters of global citizenship education is a great honor for us. We sincerely hope that in addition to being fruitful and enriching, your stay here will give you a taste of the warmth, hospitality, and rich cultural legacy that characterize Pangasinan as a province and our home. May our institutional environment, nestled between the past and the present, inspire vibrant discussions and enduring partnerships.

The theme of this summit—“Promoting Cultures, Connecting Minds, Transforming Future: Advancing GCED through Whole School Approach”—beautifully captures the very essence of our shared mission: to shape globally competent, culturally aware, and socially responsible learners through education that goes beyond borders.

As educators, leaders, and champions of Global Citizenship Education (GCED), we hold the vital responsibility of instilling the values of empathy, respect, and shared responsibility within our schools and communities. By embracing the Whole School Approach, we go beyond incorporating GCED into the curriculum—we embed it into the very culture, policies, and everyday practices of our institutions.

This summit powerfully reflects our shared commitment to honoring diversity, promoting mutual understanding, and encouraging collective action. By engaging in meaningful dialogue, embracing cultural exchange, and adopting inclusive practices, we equip learners to succeed in a connected world and actively contribute to peace, sustainability, and social justice.

May this gathering strengthen the bonds among our regional hubs, inspire fresh and innovative ideas, and renew our shared commitment to transformative education that nurtures both intellect and compassion.

Congratulations to the organizers, and heartfelt thanks to all participants for your steadfast dedication. May this summit catalyze lasting impact within our regions and beyond.

Mabuhay, balëg ya salamat!

ELBERT M. GALAS, DIT

University President

In the face of rising global tensions, deepening cultural divides, and growing uncertainty, one truth remains constant: education holds the power to heal, connect, and transform.

It is in this spirit that we welcome you to the GCC Regional Hubs Summit 2025, proudly hosted at the Golden Lion Hotel of Pangasinan State University. This gathering is more than a conference of minds. It is a call to conscience, a celebration of what binds us as human beings, and a bold step forward in making education more humane, holistic, and hopeful.

The theme for this year, “Promoting Culture, Connecting Minds, Transforming Lives”, echoes far beyond the summit walls. It is a blueprint for the kind of world we are all trying to build. A world where cultural identities are not erased but embraced. A world where schools become spaces not only of instruction, but of inclusion, dialogue, and compassion. A world where young people are not asked to wait their turn, but are empowered to lead from where they are.

To promote culture is to understand that learning is never value-neutral. Culture carries the stories we tell, the perspectives we hold, and the questions we dare to ask. It shapes the lens through which we interpret the world, and in doing so, it can either deepen divides or open doors. When culture is placed at the center of education, we are no longer just transferring knowledge; we are cultivating awareness, empathy, and a sense of belonging.

To connect minds is to dismantle barriers. In a time of digital noise and ideological silos, we need more than information; we need shared understanding. This summit calls for honest conversation, intercultural partnerships, and mutual learning that spans classrooms, borders, and belief systems. The goal is not to think alike, but to think together.

And to transform lives is the ultimate purpose of Global Citizenship Education. Through the Whole School Approach, we recognize that education reform cannot rest on curriculum alone. It must also live in the way schools are governed, how policies are shaped, how values are modeled, and how communities are engaged. True transformation begins when learners feel seen, heard, and valued… not just for what they know, but for who they are.

Here in Pangasinan, a province known for its warmth, heritage, and quiet strength, we hope this summit becomes a space where ideas can breathe and intentions can grow. Let it be a space where educators rekindle their purpose, where students find their voice, and where networks emerge that will carry these shared visions forward long after the closing rites.

As we reflect, engage, and act together, may we come to see education not as a solution to be applied, but as a commitment to be renewed—every day, in every learner, across every culture and community.

Welcome to the GCC Regional Hubs Summit 2025. May this moment lead us all closer to the kind of world we are hoping to leave behind: more connected, more just, and more human than we found it.

What does it mean to educate in today’s world?

We live in a time where the gaps between rich and poor grow wider, where storms come stronger and more often, and where young people question whether the world they're inheriting will be better than the one before. In these times, education cannot simply pass down knowledge. It must awaken something deeper. It must give our learners not only skills, but direction. Not only answers, but purpose. 

The GCC Regional Hub Summit 2025, which will take place from July 23 to 25, is a response to that very call. It is more than an academic event. It is a gathering of hearts and minds from across the Philippines and beyond—educators, policymakers, learners, and community leaders—who all believe that schools must now become agents of change. 

This year’s theme, “Promoting Cultures, Connecting Minds, Transforming Futures: Advancing GCED through the Whole School Approach,” is not a slogan. It is an invitation. An invitation to rethink why we teach, who we teach for, and how our schools can better reflect the world we hope to build. 

As Director for Global Citizenship Education at Pangasinan State University, I have seen what happens when education meets real life. I’ve seen schools become shelters after typhoons. I’ve seen teachers go beyond lessons to feed, guide, and stand with their students during times of conflict and poverty. And I’ve also seen what’s missing when the system feels too distant from the lived experiences of the learners it serves. 

That’s why we believe in the Whole School Approach. It is about more than curriculum. It’s about creating a culture where global citizenship is felt in every hallway, heard in every classroom, and practiced in every decision… from leadership to learner engagement, from community projects to everyday interactions. 

Promoting cultures honors the richness of our people. It means valuing the stories passed down to us, speaking our languages with pride, and drawing strength from the values of bayanihan and malasakit. Culture is not a barrier to learning; it is the root from which true learning grows. 

Connecting minds reminds us that we are never truly alone in our challenges. Whether you're a student in a flood-prone coastal town, a teacher without stable internet in a remote barangay, or a policymaker working to bridge the gap between vision and reality, these issues cross borders. The answers we seek must come not only from research but also from listening deeply to one another. 

Transforming futures reclaims the deeper purpose of education. It's not just about preparing young people for jobs, but about shaping thoughtful citizens. It means raising learners who care, who question, and who act. Global Citizenship Education is not an extra subject to fit into the day. It is a mindset. It is a movement. 

The GCC Regional Hub Summit 2025 is our shared opportunity. A time to reflect, to imagine, and to act. It reminds us that no school is too small to make a difference, and no learner is too young to lead. 

To our teachers, our school heads, our government partners, our youth, and our communities—this summit is for you. May these three days challenge what you know, affirm what you value, and spark a stronger sense of mission for the work ahead. 

Let us keep building schools where every child is seen, every culture is honored, and every learner is prepared not just for exams, but for life. 

Because in the end, education is not just about what we know. It’s about who we become.