This article appeared as "Global Talks" in the Summer 2023 issue of Independent School.Climate change. Gender equality. The war in Ukraine. These are just a few of the complex topics students are wrestling with today. And they are among the topics that two Palmer Trinity School (FL) students and a faculty member suggested when they had the opportunity to advise on a global dialogues program that brings together intercultural conversations around the world.
Palmer Trinity is a founding member of the Global Education Benchmark Group’s Global Student Dialogues program, started in fall 2020 as a way to connect schools during the pandemic and supported by the E.E. Ford Foundation. The intercultural dialogue has connected thousands of students around the world in monthly virtual discussions throughout the school year. As many as 100 students meet at a time and then break out into smaller groups.
Isabella Monzayet and Kyle Kelsey, recent Palmer Trinity graduates who last year served on the advisory committee, participated in monthly virtual meetings throughout the school year to help determine topics and the structure for student-driven sessions. The students produced a list of potential topics, narrowed it down, and then discussed the key points to be covered and how leaders would help guide the discussion.
Adrianna Truby, associate head of school for academic affairs at Palmer Trinity, participated in the Educator Advisory Council, a similar adult forum, during which leading educators in the field of global education developed materials for the students with background information and guidance for the discussion. Truby says the program “will help thousands of students become more engaged global citizens.”
“This sort of dialogue is very important now more than ever because knowledge is power,” Monzayet says. “Being educated on important subjects and different perspectives surrounding us can help students gain a wider understanding of relevant issues in today’s world.”
Top photo: Students Isabella Monzayet (left) and Kyle Kelsey (right), with Adrianna Truby, associate head of school for academic affairs.
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