Our educational approach
News Decoder was founded with the aim of opening young people’s horizons, deepening their understanding of the world and their place within it, helping them feel part of a global community and empowering them to add their voices and their action to meet global challenges.
This is the essence of global citizenship.
News Decoder’s educational approach emphasises the real-world, experiential learning and cross-border encounters central to global citizenship. It has three main pillars.
1. Storytelling
As a team of passionate educators and journalists, we believe that journalism is a uniquely powerful tool to promote the knowledge, mindset and competencies demanded by global citizenship.
Thinking like a journalist means being curious, asking questions, thinking critically, querying sources and being alert to bias or distortion. It means digging deep into issues, understanding context, seeking connections, linking the local to the global. It means having empathy for your subject while maintaining objectivity and balance.
We teach these skills and take students through the editorial steps to produce their own multimedia output. This deepens their knowledge of global issues, hones their communication abilities and helps them find a voice and media identity as they think about the audience and the potential real-world impact of their published story.
2. Cross-border collaborations
As a global organization, we know bringing people together across borders to collaborate and exchange has unmatched potential to open minds to new ways of thinking and being.
Our cross-border student collaborations help young people appreciate different perspectives and understand global issues from the viewpoint of other cultures and different lived experiences. It enables them to develop their skills of communication and empathy as they work together to overcome misunderstandings and find solutions. It increases their appreciation of diversity and gives them a deeper understanding of the shared values that link us all.
3. Interacting with experts
Young people rarely have the chance to learn directly from industry and field experts in their day-to-day high school learning. One of the unique features of News Decoder’s educational approach is the opportunity we give young people to interact with professionals; from the experienced journalists who deliver our journalism skills training to the panels of specialist speakers who participate in our global webinar series.
Through interaction and debate, young people build confidence and capacity in their communication, reflection and critical thinking while deepening their knowledge of global issues. In addition, our award-winning news service helps young people learn about complex topics decoded for a youth audience by highly experienced correspondents.
The table below illustrates how these parts come together.
Education for an
Interconnected World
What does it mean to be a global citizen?
Global citizenship describes a sense of belonging to a wider global community and appreciating diverse cultures, ways of life and perspectives.
Global citizens recognise that we all have rights and responsibilities towards one another and to the planet. They take an active interest in issues at the local and global level, and work with others to solve problems and build a better world for everyone.
What is global citizenship education?
Global citizenship education (GCE) aims to equip people with the knowledge, skills and values to be effective global citizens.
GCE is not a subject, but a framework. It can be integrated into geography, social studies, environmental science or language arts. It can be taught through conventional methods or innovative, participatory approaches.
The eight global citizenship competencies defined by the GCE Working Group are:
- Empathy
- Critical thinking and problem solving
- Ability to communicate
- Conflict resolution
- Sense and security of identity
- Shared universal values (i.e. human rights, justice, peace)
- Respect for diversity and intercultural understanding
- Recognition of global issues and interconnectedness
GCE is transformative learning that develops not only knowledge and skills but values, attitudes and mindsets.
This is where News Decoder comes in.
News Decoder was founded with the conviction that journalism education is global citizenship education.
When you teach someone to think like a journalist, you’re teaching them to:
- Ask questions instead of accepting easy answers
- Seek out perspectives different from their own
- Verify information before sharing it
- Understand context and historical background
- Communicate complex ideas clearly
- Consider the real-world impact of their words
These are the exact skills global citizens need.