How moving to Ireland for studies made me a Global Citizen?

I heard of the term "Global Citizen" back in 2015, and it immediately gained my attention. While the concept of global citizenship wasn't a new one, it was becoming more significant in our continuously expanding and progressively interconnected world, in order to bring focus on individuals to become more globally minded. In this article, I would like to share my experience of how moving to Ireland for studies have helped me become a "Global Citizen", by bringing the national focus to a more global mind-set, and it's a lifelong process that builds with life experiences and self-awareness of oneself and the other.

Importance of self-awareness and the awareness of others: Being born and brought up in our own country where our national identities are assigned to us at birth, a global citizenship takes time to develop, and can be attained through life experiences. When in India, I had been creating a local level impact by running charitable projects and by participating in the various social welfare causes but, at that point in time, I wasn't self aware of the "awareness of others" and beyond my country. Transitioning to a new country which is full of immense diversity and culture has helped me understand the importance of self-awareness and the awareness of others. Becoming more self-aware enabled me to identify with the universalities of the human experience and helped me to increase my identification and association with fellow human beings and the sense of responsibility toward them.

Collaboration, Cross-Culture and Co-creation: Global citizenship consists of several facets, starting with a way of thinking across many communities, societies, cultures, togetherness and ways of life. During my studies in Global Business, I had opportunities to work on projects with diverse groups of people from all over the world. Collaboration and working in cross-cultural settings have a big role to play in seeding the roots to becoming a Global Citizen. The experience one attains and the valuable interpersonal relationships that we build with our colleagues, the experience that we co-create are precious souvenir for the lifetime, and makes us more conscious human beings. Studying and working in the international environment helped me significantly alter the paradigm with which I used to see the world and my place in it. I learned that collaboration and compromise are essential skills for sailing through the complex and diverse situations encountered in an interconnected world.

Importance of Cultural empathy: Cultural empathy is a skill that I developed in my journey, and I understood how our own perspectives and identities impact our personal view of the world and people. I could now question my perspective on the world and respect other perspectives too. It helped with practicing tolerance and understanding of other cultures, mindsets and opinions. Global citizens feel a connection to their communities and transforms that sense of connection into involvement. It is about learning to stand in the shoes of others and see problems from different perspectives.

Volunteering and contribution to the society: Since my childhood, I enjoyed volunteering and help with social causes and being at the University of Limerick provided me with immense opportunity to volunteer for various causes such as animal welfare, cancer, mental health, and several others and made me feel proud and worthy of helping others in their lives by contributing the portion of the time of the day. Volunteering helped me build the self-awareness of my role in creating a global impact and helping the communities around the world that ultimately shapes our ability to become global citizens. This may transpire through several activities, from volunteer work in the community to traveling the world. Through activism and conscious decision-making, even the world’s most enduring issues such as hunger and poverty can be solved.

Travel an alias for Education: World travel, educational touring, volunteering vacations, introduces young people to new cultures, ways of life, encouraging them to view the world through a new frame of mind. By doing so, travel inspires the development of 21st century skills such as critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, co-creation and leadership and gives us a confidence and mind-set to challenge ignorance and intolerance. Being in Europe gave me immense opportunity to travel towards east and the west, and gave me a lifetime of experiences and a sense to understanding of other ways of life, and a will to work towards a healthier and happier globe. Through international experiences, individuals develop a greater awareness of the challenges faced by different parts of the world. This can encourage young people to think more deeply about the impact of their decisions and activities on other parts of the world.

I recognise myself as a Global Citizen and there is a long way to go to be creating a bigger impact, but a simple feeling of realisation that initiates us into this way of life is helpful in everyday living. It drives us to take conscious decisions around us and to create a sustainable life for ourselves and for others. A person who cares about the world, causes and feel for people, and want to do for people, and spread happiness around is the essence of a Global Citizen.

Global Citizenship is a shared responsibility where we co-create together. Each one of us can become a global citizen at any age. If you help a community grow and live a happy life, you’re a global citizen. If you complete a two-minute community garden clean, you’re a global citizen. If you help a family or a child in a developing or countries that are under war, or a help with an animal cause to give a better life for a living being, you're a global citizen. Remember, it’s about acting locally while thinking globally. Being a global citizen, you carry your national identity and enrich it with the joys and responsibilities of being part of a globalised world.