Picture this: 28 grade 11 students from Barrie. Five integrated high school credits examining the very essence of our world. Two once-in-a-lifetime experiences abroad. One semester filled with learning, love, and personal change. This is our program. This is Global Perspectives.

 

The Global Perspectives program is an academic/personal experience taught from Innisdale Secondary School. It consists of a reciprocal exchange with students from Helmholtz-Gymnasium in Zweibrücken, Germany, a two-week cultural adventure in Cuba, and 3.5 months of intensive work in the classroom. Students are given the opportunity to gain a strong awareness of the world beyond the “Canada Bubble” through the many guest speaker visits, teacher insights provided, and challenging assignments given throughout the semester. The one grade 12 and four grade 11 credits that students earn are Global Music, English, Comparative Spiritualities, World Issues, and Politics in Action. Along with regular coursework, students are required to complete assignments that span across the entire Global Perspectives curriculum. These projects include Colony to Nationhood (groups of four converting the classroom into an assigned nation and presenting their findings on the colonial history/influence on the fabric of the country), the Independent Study Unit report (an extremely extensive and detailed paper written on a chosen global issue), and Shaman (a humanoid art installation done in partners, creatively representing the two students’ ISU topics). The five credits combined with the integrated nature of the program make for a very unique academic experience that can only be found within the walls of portable 11.

 

After two months of hard work, sleepless nights, and making memories in the classroom, students travel to Cuba for a two week cultural exchange with students from the University of Matanzas. The magical days spent under the Cuban sun consist of fascinating lectures, time spent bonding with Cuban counterparts, and  excursions to Cárdenas, Matanzas, and other attractions found across this beautiful island. Nighttime festivities consist of learning Cuban dances and cultural celebrations. Although the Cuba trip gives students an incredible oasis from the Global workload, it also gives us a new perspective on our world. Many Globalites say that their life is changed through their experiences in Cuba.

 

When the group returns from Cuba, a month of hard work awaits them before the all-encompassing Germany trip. The four weeks in Germany is something that many students look forwards to, seeing that we stay in our exchange partners’ homes - individuals with whom we have already had the opportunity to bond with when they lived under our Canadian roofs in the Fall. Day trips take students to enchanting towns, forests, and other attractions from the Zweibrϋcken area. The German students take their Canadian counterparts to school with them on multiple occasions. The Germany trip is composed of many small adventures combined to create the adventure of a lifetime. One of the sub-trips within the Germany exchange is the “Big Trip”. For the Global Class of 2018, the Big Trip is five days spent in Berlin.

 

In every sense of the word, Global Perspectives is a journey. In a literal sense, program participants are able to travel the world and experience life beyond familiarity. Thinking symbolically, the Global journey is the change from a closed mindset to an open one. This incredible program is a one-way ticket, once the Global journey begins, it never ends. When students return to Canada from Germany, our journey continues with the newfound insights and perspectives we will share with the world. Our Global Perspectives journey is only just beginning.

 

          -  Global Perspectives 2018