Global Week
Each January, Castilleja School hosts Global Week to provide students with a unique opportunity to examine a globally relevant topic through workshops, projects, and in-depth engagement with speakers.
We live in a world where division grows, with strong opposing views and echo chambers that could restrict us to binary thinking, stifle meaningful conversations, and hinder common ground. To realize our vision of a more inclusive society, we must engage constructively with those who differ from us, bridging divides and strengthening our communities. Global Week 2025 elevates listening and dialogue to foster empathy, understanding, and collaborative action for a more resilient and hopeful future.
Essential Questions:
- How can we cultivate initiative, agility, and a sense of purpose to bridge the deep divides in our society?
- How can engaging with diverse perspectives on critical contemporary issues deepen our understanding of democratic principles like inclusivity, deliberation, and shared decision-making?
- How can collaborative actions help us find common ground on urgent global challenges to create a more equitable future?
Forms of discourse highlighted during the week: Dialogue, negotiation (consensus-building), deliberation, and discussion.
Global Week 2025 will be a four-day experience from Monday, January 6 to Thursday, January 9, 2025.
GLOBAL WEEK 2025 SPEAKER SCHEDULE
MON, JAN 6 Engaging Across Differences |
TUE, JAN 7 Understanding Global Political Dynamics |
WED, JAN 8 Examining Democracy through Deliberations |
THU, JAN 9 Taking Purposeful Action to Build an Inclusive Future |
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9:10AM PST — |
9:15AM PST — |
9:00AM PST — |
9:15AM PST — Why Hope and Collaboration are Crucial to Climate Justice Solutions Author, scholar, and educator Dr. Elin Kelsey |
7:00pm PST — |
GLOBAL WEEK 2025 SPEAKER SCHEDULE
Past Global Weeks
- 2024: Languages We Speak = Identity, Access, and Justice
- 2023: Inclusive Journalism: Moving Beyond the Headlines
- 2022: Climate Justice and Indigenous Communities
- 2021: Global Health: Investing in our Collective Future
- 2020: Seats at the Table: Women, Peace & Security
- 2019: The Promises and Challenges of Artificial Intelligence
- 2018: Equity in Education
- 2017: Migration - Living in a World on the Move
- 2016: Climate Change
- 2015: The City - Fortification to Imagination
- 2014: Artists with a Cause
- 2013: Standing Up and Speaking Out
2024: Languages We Speak = Identity, Access, and Justice
Language is an essential part of our identity—it connects our communities and preserves our cultures. We understand and empathize with each other through a common language, while not knowing a language can deprive us of a sense of belonging and, in some cases, access to opportunities and basic rights. Through stories of immigrants, asylum seekers, Indigenous communities, and equity advocates, Global Week 2024 will explore the intersection of language, culture, identity, and social justice.
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How do the languages we speak impact our identity, perspectives, and worldview?
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How can we use the privileges afforded by our language(s) for social justice?
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How are communities reclaiming their languages to resist marginalization and confront the history of colonization?
Global Week 2024 will be a 3-day experience from Wednesday, January 3–Friday, January 5, 2024.
GLOBAL WEEK 2024 SPEAKER SCHEDULE
WED, JAN 3 | THU, JAN 4 | FRI, JAN 5 |
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9:30AM PST — |
9:30AM PST — |
9:30AM PST — |
2:10PM PST — |
2:10PM PST —
Is it Cringey, Trendy, or Unprofessional? Why AAVE, Having an Accent & Being 'Well Spoken' Matter |
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7:00pm PST — |
2023: Inclusive Journalism: Moving Beyond the Headlines
As antiracist learners and practitioners in an increasingly polarized world, we must seek diverse perspectives and multiple narratives in the information we consume. Moreover, we must prioritize historically marginalized voices in our collective discourse in order to understand the complexity of an issue and work towards an equitable society. Inclusive Journalism explores stories and viewpoints that remain untold or underrepresented in mainstream media and reinforces our commitment to equity, inclusion, and justice.
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Whose stories are often overlooked by mainstream media, and why?
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How do we engage voices from underrepresented communities in the news and other media?
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Why do today’s societies need inclusive journalism more than ever before?
Global Week 2023 will be a 4-day experience from Tuesday, January 3 to Friday, January 6, 2023.
TUESDAY
Castilleja Alumnae Panel
Tracy Jan ‘94, Deputy health and science editor at The Washington Post
Kate Eby ‘02, 6 p.m. Producer at KGO-TV, San Francisco
Trans-Continental Migration: The Longest Journey to America
Nadja Dorst, Pulitzer Prize and Emmy Award-winning journalist and documentary filmmaker
WEDNESDAY
The Power of Empathetic Journalism
Jessica Goudeau, Author of After the Last Border: Two Families and the Story of Refuge in America
Virtual Community Event with Robert Samuels, Washington Post reporter and Pulitzer Prize winning author of His Name is George Floyd: One Man's Life and the Struggle for Racial Justice
THURSDAY
George Floyd's America, Our America
Robert Samuels, Washington Post reporter and Pulitzer Prize winning author of His Name is George Floyd: One Man's Life and the Struggle for Racial Justice
Empowered Household Workers in Argentina
Anita Pouchard Serra, Photojournalist and visual storyteller
FRIDAY
Panel Discussion with Pulitzer Center Journalists
Muriel Alarcon, Freelance reporter and photographer, Corinne Chin, Senior video journalist at The Seattle Times and the founder and leader of the newsroom’s Diversity & Inclusion Task Force, Daniella Zalcman, Documentary photographer and founder of Women Photograph, a nonprofit working to elevate the voices of women and nonbinary visual journalists
2022: Climate Justice and Indigenous Communities
From the melting ice caps in the Arctic to the rapidly submerging islands in the Pacific Ocean, Indigenous peoples around the world are facing some of the worst effects of the climate crisis, and fighting for a sustainable future for all. Climate Justice and Indigenous Communities insists on exploring the impacts of climate change and the need to address the climate emergency through the lens of justice and empowerment.
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Honoring the Dignity of Indigenous Knowledge: What do Indigenous teachings say about the environment and sustainable production and consumption? How would adopting Indigenous knowledge help us preserve our environment and ecosystems while alleviating the effects of climate change?
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Climate Justice = Indigenous Rights: Why is climate justice critical to Indigenous rights? How have various economic and environmental policies impacted Indigenous communities globally?
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Indigenous-led Sustainability Efforts and Climate Justice Movements: Why is it important to include Indigenous communities, knowledge, and traditions in the global movement to fight the effects of climate change? Where and how can we see Indigenous knowledge being applied to conserve and restore the environment?
Global Week 2022 will be a 4-day experience from Monday, January 3—Thursday, January 6, 2022.
MONDAY
What Does the Earth Ask of Us?
Dr. Robin W. Kimmerer, SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor of Environmental Biology; Enrolled member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation
Reciprocity of Knowledge and Community Science
Dr. Michelle Montgomery, Associate Professor at the University of Washington Tacoma, School of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences in American Indian Studies and Ethnic, Gender and Labor Studies; Enrolled Haliwa Saponi/descendant Eastern Band Cherokee
TUESDAY
Climate Justice & Indigenous Rights
Loren Spears, Executive Director, Tomaquag Museum; Member of the Narragansett Tribe
Climate Change’s Cultural Side
Jeff Wagner, Founder of Groundwork and Instructor at Where There Be Dragons
Indigenous Cosmologies and Relational EarthJustice
Dr. Yuria Celidwen, Senior Editor at United Nations; Indigenous Nahua and Maya descent
WEDNESDAY
Keynote
Sarah Diefendorf, Director of the Environmental Finance Center West at Earth Island Institute
Native American Activism in Guatemala & Honduras
Richard Brown, Founder of Forum on Migration; Translator at Amnesty International
THURSDAY
Water is Life
Silvermoon LaRose, Assistant Director, Tomaquag Museum; Member of the Narragansett Tribe
The Forbidden Fire and the Role of Community-Based Fire Management in the Peruvian Andes
Vanessa Luna, PhD Student and Researcher at the University of Florida’s Governance and Infrastructure In the Amazon project
Read Books authored by Global Week 2022 Speakers
2021: Global Health: Investing in our Collective Future
Global Week 2021 — Global Health: Investing in our Collective Future
In the midst of a pandemic, Global Health: Investing in our Collective Future highlights the power of global partnership and cooperation in health as we navigate the realities of the novel coronavirus. Our shared global responsibilities must be underpinned by trust and common purpose. And our collective futures rely on robust research and data transparency for timely decision-making.
- Global Health: How do we measure health? How does an epidemic become a pandemic? How is foundational research shared and for whom is it produced? What does successful preparedness and response look like?
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Collective Responsibilities: What are the responsibilities of institutions, governments and individuals to Global Health? Whose voices are at the table? What are the implications of our decisions? How does international cooperation create access?
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Data Transparency: How do we use data to promote greater equity? What are the social and political contexts from which we construct and interpret data? What are the standards for research and data? How does data inform timely decision-making?
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Health Inequities: What are the racial disparities of healthcare access? How do we dismantle and reconstruct the systems that disproportionality impact communities of color? What are the consequences of neglect and lack of access on marginalized communities?
Global Week 2021 will be a 4-day online experience from Monday, January 4—Thursday, January 7, 2021.
MONDAY:
COVID-19 and Health Security: A Dynamic Response to the Global Pandemic
Caitlin Rivers, PhD, MPH, Senior Scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security
Health Disparities in the Context of COVID-19
Megan Mahoney, MD, Clinical Professor of Medicine in the Division of Primary are and Population Health at Stanford University, and Chief of Staff at Stanford Health Care
Priya Singh, Chief Strategy Officer and Senior Associate Dean at Stanford Medicine
TUESDAY:
COVID-19 and National Security: What are the National Security Implications of the Pandemic?Suzanne Spaulding, Senior Adviser at Center for Strategic and International Studies
UN Sustainable Development Goals: Global Health and the Sustainable Development Goals
Dustin Liu, 9th UN Youth Observer to the United Nations
Amie Shao, Principal at MASS Design Group
Wynn Walent, Executive Director at Colorado Haiti Project
COMMUNITY EVENING EVENT:
Lessons from the Pandemic and California's Response
Traducción al español disponible para este evento / Spanish Translation offered for this event
Sara Cody, MD, Health Officer and Director at the County of Santa Clara Public Health Department
Bob Kocher, MD, Partner at Venrock and Adjunct Professor at Stanford Medicine
WEDNESDAY:
Race to the Future? Reimagining the Default Settings of Technology & Society
Ruha Benjamin, PhD, Professor of African American Studies at Princeton University
Alumni Panel — Priorities and Principles of Women’s Health: A Global Perspective
Naima D Bridges, MD '02, Obstetrician & Gynecologist and Assistant Chief at Kaiser Permanente
Joanna Busza '90, Associate Professor, Sexual & Reproductive Health at London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
Jane McConnell, PhD ’81, Biology/Biotech/Climate Change Teacher at Castilleja School
Why Did the U.S. Pandemic Response Fail, and What Is the Solution?
Charity Dean MD, MPH&TM, CEO and Co-Founder at The Public Health Company Group, Inc.
Scott Rosenstein, Coronavirus Special Advisor at Eurasia Group
Striving for Equity in Global Health and Pandemic Response
Nahid Bhadelia, MD, MALD, Medical Director, Special Pathogens Unit at Boston Medical Center and National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories
2020: Seats at the Table: Women, Peace & Security
GLOBAL WEEK 2020
Seats at the Table: Women, Peace and Security recognizes the power of women as storytellers, activists, and strategists and honors the continued commitments to this work on the 20th anniversary of the UN Security Council's landmark resolution 1325 on women, peace and security.
We believe that understanding others’ perspectives is at the heart of meaningful engagement with conflict resolution and a key competency to global leadership. Understanding that the personal is political, Global Week 2020 will explore women's experiences, voices, and activism in the context of peace and security:
Women as storytellers. Balancing Narratives — Who has the power and access to construct narratives, particularly in armed conflicts? How have women been part of or pushed back from building these narratives? How have new communication tools changed how we understand and engage with conflict?
Women as activists. Building Belonging — How can we change the way we relate to conflict? How do we talk to people with differing perspectives and experiences? How do we create communities that hold space for competing narratives and perspectives?
Women as strategists. Gendered Experiences — What are the consequences of our deeply gendered experiences of the world? How does an intersectional lens change the way we experience conflict and peacemaking?
“Almost 20 years since the adoption of resolution 1325, we don’t just need to be at the peace table. It’s time to redesign the table.” ~Sharon Bhagwan-Rolls, Chair of the Board of the Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict
Global Week 2020 will be a 4-day experience from Monday, January 6—Thursday, January 9, 2020.
During the week our all-school activities will take the shape of listening to keynote speakers and panels and participating in dynamic group workshops on the following topics:
MONDAY:
Womxn, Peace and Security: Defining Our Collective Narratives
Dr. Melissa I. M. Torres, Vice President, Women's International League for Peace and Freedom
Gendering Conflict: Towards a Feminist Understanding of Peace & Conflict
Carly Fox, History Teacher, Castilleja School
TUESDAY:
Women with Voice: Critical Perspectives on Security from the Local to the Global
Lauren Bean Buitta, Founder and Executive Director, Girl Security
S. Leslie Ireland, Former Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Intelligence and Analysis
Feker Kebere, Promotion and Resource Mobilization
Moderated by Dr. Danielle Zach, Postdoctoral Fellow, City College of New York, CUNY
New Global Security and the Need for Understanding, Innovation, and Leadership
The Honorable Susan M. Gordon, Former Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence
COMMUNITY EVENING EVENT:
Engaging Security Challenges in the Twenty-first Century: The Role of Diversity, Representation, and Women's Empowerment
Liesl Gerntholtz, Deputy Executive Director for Programme, Human Rights Watch
The Honorable Susan M. Gordon, Former Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence
Moderated by Dr. Danielle Zach, Postdoctoral Fellow, City College of New York, CUNY
WEDNESDAY:
Show Me the Women: The Impact of Conflict on Women and their Role in Peace Making
Liesl Gerntholtz, Deputy Executive Director for Programme, Human Rights Watch
Alumnae Panel: Developing Peace through Gender Equality
Elizabeth Zumwalt Harmon ’08, Policy Analyst, Countering Transnational Organized Crime Policy, Office of Strategy, Policy, and Plans, U.S. Department of Homeland Security Headquarters
Bronte Kass ’14, Program Manager, Stanford University
Neelam Noorani ’91, Senior Human Rights Legal Consultant
THURSDAY:
Empowering Girls in National Security
Lauren Bean Buitta, Founder and Executive Director, Girl Security
Gina Bennett, Board Director, Girl Security
Erin Connolly, Associate Program Director, Girl Security
The Role of the U.S. in Global Security
Gina Bennett, Board Director, Girl Security
Please note that only some of these events are open to guests, please RSVP for selected events here.
Use the button below to download the Global Week 2020 Program which includes workshop descriptions, speaker bios, and schedules for each grade level.
2019: The Promises and Challenges of Artificial Intelligence
The GW 2019 Agenda
Monday, January 7 — Thursday, January 10
During the week our all-school activities will take the shape of listening to keynote speakers and panels and participating in dynamic group workshops on the following topics:
The Art in Artificial Intelligence
In conjunction with Global Week 2019, The Art in Artificial Intelligence featuring interactive art pieces by Yotam Mann, Purin Phanichphant, and Anastasia Victor will be on exhibition. While remaining neutral on the debate between optimists and pessimists, the exhibit aims to examine other tangible forms of AI as perceived by artists and creatives working with technology. Part educational and part thought-provoking, the show aims to attract and spark dialogue among thought-leaders in the field, as well as aspiring next-generation technologists.
Opening Reception with Artists: Tues Jan 8, 5:00-7:00pm
Exhibition on view: Anita Seipp Gallery, Mon Jan 7, 2019 - Fri Jan 18, 2019
Includes workshop descriptions, speaker bios, and schedules for each grade level.
Global Week 2019
This year’s Global Week The Promises and Challenges of Artificial Intelligence investigated how might we push the boundaries and understand the limits of artificial intelligence today and in the future.
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AI in our Daily Lives — how does AI support us in tasks and challenges in our daily lives?
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Big Data — how might AI help us solve intractable problems and identify solutions more effectively?
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Algorithmic Accountability – how might AI manage risk?
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Equity and Bias – how might AI respond to and shape social and cultural bias?
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Inspired Creativity — how might AI help us understand the power of collaboration and inspire us to be more creative?
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Personal Responsibility — how should we engage with and shape algorithmically-driven processes and decisions?
2018: Equity in Education
Everything we do in life, from tying your shoes to performing brain surgery, is learned. So education is as key to survival as food. Just as there should be equity and fairness in everybody having enough food to survive, there should be equity and fairness in education.
Download the booklet which includes workshop descriptions, speaker bios, and schedules for each grade level.
What will we think about both during the year and during Global Week?
Community Learning Opportunities and Conversations
Equity is a complicated topic because it includes questions of access and resource distribution that are driven by both social and cultural norms and economic factors. These norms and factors look different around the globe, and there are many competing points of view about rights and best practices in the field of education. Our theme is designed to help us understand what questions to ask when we are trying to understand what makes an educational experience equitable in a specific context.
Grade-Level Learning Opportunities and Conversations
Depending upon each classes’ grade-level theme and classroom projects and discussions, students will have different opportunities to learn more about both the terminology (i.e. access, resource distribution, social factors, cultural factors, economic factors) and the concepts we’ll be talking about during Global Week.
What will the keynote topics be during Global Week?
During the week our all-school activities will take the shape of listening to keynote speakers and panels and participating in dynamic group workshops on the following topics:
Tuesday |
Is Education a Human Right?
Jonathan Jansen, author of Leading for Change: Race, Intimacy and Leadership on Divided University Campuses, former Vice-Chancellor of the University of the Free State in South Africa, and recipient of the inaugural Alumni Excellence in Education Award, Stanford University. |
The Challenges and Power of EdTech: Equity and Access to Skills and Competency Acquisition Explore tools and hear stories from leading voices in the EdTech space. These innovators are striving to re-imagine how technology can enhance learning without undermining our capacity to think critically, develop a depth of knowledge on a subject, and engage face-to-face with one another. |
Wednesday |
Equity in Education: The Global Learning Landscape** Panel: Hear from activists and educators who are shaping the learning landscape in communities across the globe. Special guests include activist and community leader Thulani Madondo, Executive Director of Kliptown Youth Program in South Africa, 2012 CNN Hero, 2013 200 Young South Africans Making A Difference awardee |
Equity in Education for Girls: “Righting History”** Rosie Rios, 43rd Treasurer of the United States of America |
Thursday |
C-Education: Student Voice and Choice to Hear from Local Educators and Equity Leaders |
Equity in Education: Closing the Opportunity Gap in the United States** Prudence Carter, Dean of the Graduate School of Education at U.C. Berkeley and author of Stubborn Roots: Race, Culture, and Inequality in U.S. & South African Schools (2012) and Closing the Opportunity Gap: What America Must Do to Give Every Child an Even Chance (2013), co-edited with Dr. Kevin Welner |
EVENING EVENT: Education Transforming Lives, Daily Challenges in a Broader Context. Joel Samoff, Jonathan Jansen, and Thulani Madondo |
Friday |
Equity in Education: Local Challenges and Local Solutions Panel Discussion |
2017: Migration - Living in a World on the Move
Our guiding questions exemplify the complexity of the topic and the nuanced arguments for and against specific international, national, and personal positions.
Human Migration Patterns Across Time
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Why do people migrate?
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How do we trace the migrations of humans over time?
Nations, Borders, and the Construction of Citizenship
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How do people organize themselves?
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How do core beliefs turn into governing structures and laws?
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How does maintaining a national border affect the quality of life within a region?
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How do people protect themselves and their interests?
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Is citizenship exclusionary? What does "inclusive citizenship look like?
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Why are there laws around migration?
Migration Beyond the Law
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Why do people migrate off the grid? Why do people migrate beyond traditional structures of borders, nationality, or citizenship? What risks do they face?
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What types of status do off the grid migrants have in their new communities?
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How does the extent to which migrant groups assimilate (culturally, socially, and politically) play a role in their status?
Imagining the Future
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What are the essential human rights that should be afforded all people?
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What are the tensions between concepts of nationalism and citizenship and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights?
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How are the current social, political, intellectual, cultural, and economic forces affecting the traditional concepts of citizenship?
This year the week concludes by honoring migration stories of our nation’s past and imagining a more inclusive future for all of us with a concert by At the Table with Dr. King. The celebration will highlight the events of the Civil Rights Movement and hopefully inspire our students to assume responsibility for their own role as strong leaders in the world beyond our circle.
Download the booklet which includes workshop descriptions, speaker bios, and schedules for each grade level.
2016: Climate Change
Download the booklet which includes workshop descriptions, speaker bios, and schedules for each grade level.
2015: The City - Fortification to Imagination
GW 2015 explores the history and future of cities. How do historians, anthropologists, urban planners, futurists, and bureaucrats think about cities? Begin your thinking about cities with our guiding questions and key concepts, and join us for a keynote arc moving from past to future.
Guiding questions: What has the role of the city been throughout history? How are decisions made in a city? How is community built and maintained in a city? What is the future of “the city”?
Key Concepts Cities Must Have:
Water
Justice
Diversity
Sense of Identity tied to Place
Keynote Arc:
What is Urban?
What is a City?
The History of Cities
The Future of Cities
The Megacity: Challenges and Opportunities
Download the booklet which includes workshop descriptions, speaker bios, and schedules for each grade level.
2014: Artists with a Cause
Thank you to everyone who engaged in Global Week 2014: Artists with a Cause. We were so pleased so share the week engaging with students, employees, and community members. All ages were seen getting down with New Style Motherlode, exploring the role of plastic in the world with One Beach Plastic, learning the beauty of graffiti art with Mural, Music and Arts Project, and much, much more. Here is a brief recap of some of the amazing projects the students were working on during the entirety of the week.
Middle School
The 6th Grade worked with Daniel Barash, creating shadow puppet movies around a global issue of the students' choice. 7th Graders were inspired by speakers, movies and workshops focused on food justice, as well as a visit to the San Francisco Ferry Building. The 8th Grade interviewed elders from the Stevenson House and then wrote up their stories. The week culminated in an art project given to the elders to represent their life story.
Upper School
The 9th Grade worked with presentation guru Michael Moon on their year-long interdisciplinary project. The 10th Grade students worked with entrepreneur Jess Munro to create and develop their own innovative solution to a global issue. We missed the 11th Grade on campus; however, they were off engaging with the global community on their Investigator trip in either China, India, Guatemala or France. The 12th Grade worked on three separate projects: a photographic essay, led by Amanda Jones, documentary films with MTV World's Raeshem Nijhon, and a school graffiti mural.
Elective Workshops
All students had the opportunity to connect with local and global artists, as well as do hands-on work during their elective selections. Some beautified our campus in a student-led "graffiti moss" elective, others learned the art of plating with local social entrepreneur Kathleen Hughes of Ada's Café, while others learned about the art of merchandising when they designed a teen pendant for the American market to support the organization Made by Survivors.
Download the booklet which includes workshop descriptions, speaker bios, and schedules for each grade level.
2013: Standing Up and Speaking Out
Youth Speaks officially kicked off Global Week 2013, "Social Change: Standing Up and Speaking Out". Youth Speaks is a non-profit, which empowers the next generation of leaders, self-defined artists, and visionary activists through written and oral literacies. They challenge youth to find, develop, publicly present, and apply their voices as creators of social change.
During the week, students engaged in a variety of experiences. Week-long workshops focused on Grassroots Movements, Social Media and the Protestor, the Political Process, and Partnership in Action.
Download the booklet which includes workshop descriptions, speaker bios, and schedules for each grade level.