Video-activism and project-based assignments: an experience of Global Citizenship Education in Colombia

Abstract

Global Citizenship Education is an emerging educational concept and strategy that different governments and international organizations have been promoting in response to the great problems that affect humanity including poverty, inequality, violence, and environmental devastation. However, at present there is no agreement about what it means to be a citizen of the world and what features Global Citizenship Education strategies should take in specific contexts. This article presents the results of a study that sought to understand how activism mediated by digital technologies can contribute to Global Citizenship Education. The study was developed in 2017 in two educational institutions of Bogotá, Colombia, which promote critical appropriation of new media and technologies: Escuela Mediática and Colegio Venecia. Based on a Participatory Action Research and the combination of techniques such as participant observation, semi-structured interviews and content analysis, it was identified that students from these educational institutions, by using video-activism and project work, promote reflection and raise awareness about issues that, such as caring for the environment, concern humanity and are very close to their youthful sensitivities.