I am deeply honored to have received the 2025–26 EARCOS Global Citizenship Award. This award is not only an honor, but also part of a journey shaped by participation, documentation, reflection, and growth.
First Encounters with GCA
Understanding Through Documentation：I became deeply involved in the GCA program in G1. At the beginning, my understanding of the program was quite simple: taking part in activities, organizing materials, uploading records, and writing reflections. At that stage, I focused mainly on what I had completed. After an activity, I would usually ask myself: Did everything run smoothly? How many people participated? Did we achieve the intended outcome.
Why was this worth：Yet after writing reflection after reflection, I slowly began asking a different question: Why was this worth doing? I started looking back at my own role in each activity. GCA helped me see the meaning behind action, and allowed me to turn each activity experience into a clearer understanding of my own growth.
Deeper Involvement
By G2, I had developed a deeper understanding of and connection with the idea of global citizenship.
I hoped to share my own experiences with more students and translate my understanding into meaningful activities within the school community. That same year, the Student Leadership Body’s Global Citizenship Division was founded, and I was fortunate to become one of its Prefects.
I spent an unforgettable year in the GC Division as a Prefect. Working with a group of like-minded peers who shared a common vision, I found brainstorming, planning, and bringing activities to life both joyful and meaningful. At the same time, I began to realize how much careful collaboration lies behind a campus event that may appear lively and effortless on the surface: early-stage planning, division of responsibilities, communication, and on-site coordination.
During the Foyer Decoration, I saw that every object from a different cultural background carries its own story. During Zero Waste Week, I discovered that a more sustainable lifestyle can begin with small choices in everyday life. At the TEDx SCIE conference, I had the opportunity to hear people from different backgrounds share their stories and perspectives.
Through these experiences, I was able to turn my understanding of global citizenship into concrete action. More importantly, I began thinking about how thoughtful planning and organization could encourage more people to take part.
When entering A1, I became the deputy chair of the Global Citizenship Division, which gave me a new understanding of what “participation” could mean.
Previously, when I joined an activity, I was mainly responsible for completing my own part. Once I stood in the position of an organizer, however, I began to realize that the most challenging part of an activity is not simply making it happen, but encouraging more students to step into it and making its impact last beyond the event itself.
During Sustainable Transportation Day in October, we used surveys, publicity, and interactive activities around campus to encourage students to reconsider the connection between their daily commuting choices and sustainable living. During Brain Health Week, we used exhibitions and interactive displays to help more students understand how small lifestyle changes can significantly support brain health.
At the same time, I continued participating in the GCA program and received the SCIE GCA Gold Award. For me, it was a journey filled with reflection and growth. I hoped to share this experience with more students and encourage them to take part in GCA, so that they too could discover their own forms of growth through the process.
With this intention, we created a series of GCA videos, hoping to use a more vivid and accessible format to help students better understand different global citizenship themes and begin asking reflective questions of their own. Through these efforts, I was also glad to see more students becoming aware of and involved in the GCA programme, with participation increasing by over 100%.
This year marks my third year in the Global Citizenship Division and my fourth year since first encountering GCA. Looking back on these years, I have come to realize that action and reflection strengthen each other.
Global citizenship asks me to remain open and willing to encounter different perspectives. It also asks me, when I notice a problem, not to stop at ideas alone, but to try to create change through action, however small that change may be.
Through repeated actions and repeated moments of self-questioning, I have gradually developed a deeper identification with the idea of global citizenship. I have also become more determined to continue carrying this spirit forward within the school community.
My journey is not over. I hope to continue participating, acting, and reflecting with this understanding, and to share this way of thinking about global citizenship with more people.
- Article / Yvonne Li
