Gold Special Passport Award for Villiers!

Awarded by WorldWise Global Schools for Global Citizenship Education

Students and teachers at Villiers have earned a national award for their work towards creating a better world. Villiers is one of only eleven schools across Ireland to achieve the Gold Special Passport Award this year from World Wise Global Schools at a conference in Dublin’s Iveagh House, which was attended by Deputy Sean Fleming (TD), Minister of State with responsibility for Overseas Development and Diaspora.

Global Schools, renowned for promoting international understanding and cooperation through education, awards the Special Passport recognition to institutions that demonstrate outstanding dedication to fostering global awareness, cultural appreciation, and sustainable development practices among students and staff.

In Villiers, this commitment includes both curricular and co-curricular teaching and learning opportunities.  Students and staff have also participated in fundraising and awareness campaigns for Focus Ireland, Irish Network Against Racism (INAR), UNHCR The Refugee Agency and The Irish Cancer Society.

School events celebrated throughout the year also include Irish Traveller Ethnicity Day, International Women’s Day, Human Rights Day and International Day Against Islamophobia, as well as designated awareness weeks and guest speaker programmes promoting positive mental health, equality, intercultural learning, and anti-racism.

Head of School Jill Storey, said ‘We are thrilled to receive the Gold Special Passport Award from Global Schools. Having received the Silver Diplomatic Passport Award in 2020, this award is a progression of the continuous commitment of our students and staff to international mindedness, which is a concept used within the International Baccalaureate (IB) programming model. What it means is understanding, respecting and valuing different cultures. This award inspires us to continue to provide our students with transformative educational experiences that prepare them to thrive as global citizens.’

Villiers School is only one of five International Baccalaureate (IB) World schools in Ireland. Offering students the choice between Irish or international curriculum, students can study either the Leaving Certificate or the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme.

Villiers also offers students the opportunity to participate in student groups which encourage international mindedness and promote conversations around global issues. These include Global Schools, Buddies Without Borders and Social Justice Club.  This week, members from these clubs participated in a schools’ event in the University of Limerick to learn more about Dr James Carr’s SALAAM Project, Sustainable Alliances Against Anti-Muslim Hatred.  This event encouraged students to reflect on their understanding of solidarity, and what it means to be anti-racist.

Read more about the SALAAM Project here: https://www.ul.ie/artsoc/salaam/about-the-salaam-project

WHAT IS WORLDWISE GLOBAL SCHOOLS? WorldWise Global Schools (WWGS) is Irish Aid’s national Global Citizenship Education programme for post-primary schools, providing a one-stop shop of training, funding, resources and guidance to engage in development education. WWGS is funded by Irish Aid and implemented by a consortium of Self Help Africa, Concern Worldwide, City of Dublin Education and Training Board Curriculum Development Unit, Association of Secondary Teachers in Ireland (ASTI), representing also the Teachers Union of Ireland (TUI), National Association of Principals and Deputies (NAPD) and The Ubuntu Network, School of Education, University of Limerick.

For more information, contact: info@worldwiseschools.ie