AFS presents the premiere of Crash Test World at the opening session of the 2019 AFS Global Conference. This exciting new made-for-classrooms-and-beyond TV series hosted by Kari Byron, star of Discovery Channel’s Mythbusters and Netflix’s White Rabbit Project, showcases fascinating everyday active global citizens and community heroes who harness global skills, expertise and ftech to do social good.
Hear from the show’s creator Jenny Buccos, a multi-award winning director and producer and the founder of Project Explorer, about free Crash Test World digital tools for educators to integrate global competence education into the classroom. And engage with doers, thinkers, funders and other champions to launch the first of many lively interactive discussions at the Conference on educating active global citizens to tackle the pressing challenges of the world to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
The Innovation Stage by International Experience Canada will feature inspiring active global citizens and those who contribute to global citizenship education in various ways. The stage will host panel discussions, interviews, TED-style presentations, and debates.
The Young Active Global Citizens Day will empower the next generation of Active Global Citizens through skill-building workshops, discussions with experts, networking opportunities and field visits to organizations addressing the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with innovative approaches. After spending a day with like-minded peers, engaging in in-depth discussions and developing their global competencies, the young leaders will then take the stage and join the discussions at the AFS Global Conference.
An opportunity to kick-off the AFS Global Conference experience with hands-on activities and practical tools for global citizenship education, these workshops are led by Conference partners renowned for their work. From field trips to case studies, the Pre-Conference Workshops will set the tone for our discussions and inspire new connections among the participants. Get the most out of your conference experience by joining us for a pre-conference workshop. Select a half-day workshop or combine them for a full-day of professional development while networking with colleagues.
AFS Intercultural Programs will reveal the winner of the inaugural AFS Prize for Young Active Global Citizens and award five outstanding champions of intercultural learning and global competence education. Join us to celebrate these extraordinary individuals, schools and institutions who are using intercultural connections to create a better world.
This is the perfect opportunity to build new connections and discuss global competence with distinguished speakers and special guests. This featured event for 300+ participants will include possibilities to advocate your cause to and build new partnerships with one of the 160+ organizations represented at the Conference.
At AFS we believe that every intercultural encounter can become a true, enriching learning opportunity. Panels, workshops and other sessions at the AFS Global Conference will give you lots of new insights and alliances – but you should make sure to complement them by discovering the rich history and culture of Canada. Discover Ottawa, Quebec City, Montebello, Mont-Tremblant, Federal Capital, the countryside and more.
The AFS Global Conference EXPO is your opportunity to connect with industry leaders and innovators from all sectors plus 600+ international students and educators from around the world. Two and a half days of exhibition time offers many opportunities to spotlight your organization’s services, products, and programs. Located at the cocktail/coffee break area and next to the main plenary stage, the Exhibition Hall provides ideal positioning for high participant traffic that will maximize your organization’s brand visibility and outreach efforts.
What’s taking so long for global competence to become a core skill developed in classrooms and youth programs around the world—and what should we do about it? Study after study quotes educators, policymakers, businesses and NGOs troubled by the shortage of people with these essential global skills. Politics is a big factor, but not the whole problem. This session will tap some of the best minds on the planet tackling the biggest barriers and offering practical, cutting-edge and inspiring solutions to turn global competence education policy into practice.
It’s time to take action—together. But first we need a rock-solid plan built from the dynamic ideas, innovations and success strategies that have transformed schools, universities, study abroad and youth programs. We also must have “inconvenient conversations” about who must be at the table if we really want to make global competence a right and not a privilege for young people worldwide.
Navigating the growing number of tools, platforms and trends in global competence education can be overwhelming. This session will feature leaders and their efforts to use research and insights to mainstream digital learning, study abroad, virtual exchange and other innovations into globalized classrooms.
Global awareness. International trends. Social justice. Negotiating conflict. Inciting fear. Fake news. Alternative facts. Social and traditional media are the non-stop real-world “textbooks” that keep us informed and help us interpret what’s going on around us. Because they put us at the center of global conversations, active global citizens must be able to critically evaluate and make sense of the information and misinformation they do bring. This session dissects the roles various forms of media play in educating global citizens and how to use them as a platform to advocate for more global competence education.
We all know that teacher training takes center stage when discussing global-ready schools. However, teachers and teacher educators can’t do this alone. What else goes in the mix? Who else needs to take action? Bringing together experts focused on different aspects of the learning continuum—from the classroom to helping others in the community—will provide a broader perspective on this complex challenge.
Like it or not, we all need financial support to create and run our projects, programs, and services. Hear what funders, social entrepreneurs, government representatives and corporate social responsibility leaders look for in projects promising to build global skills, educate active global citizens, and help young people become interculturally competent.
