Essay on Responsibilities of Global Citizenship

I think that the term global citizenship ought to be defined by more than a single outlook. Its definition might vary among demographics or individuals and so on. Global citizenship needs no indoctrination or fees but rather the willingness to be aware of the world surrounding a person (Lyons, Hanley, Wearing, & Neil, 2012). It enables individuals to respect themselves and others inhabiting the world. It requires individuals to collectively understand the planet and evaluate the impacts and ethics of the decisions they make. It simply means a relationship between an individual and the rest of the globe. It can be understood as referring to an individual who places his or her identity with that of the global community and not just with that of a particular place or a city.

Among the characteristics of a global citizen would be awareness and understanding of social justice. Travelling is a very good way of building a better consideration and cognition of the world and the different cultures and people inhabiting the planet. Today, people can spread data in a greater way because of technology and other sources that allow them to interact and connect with the rest of the world. A global citizen is always learning through things such as classrooms, holding discussions, and life experiences. A global citizen is well aware of what injustice is and what is justice. Such a citizen understands equality and is always willing to make the world a better place. A global citizen encourages others to take a firm stand in minimizing harm directed to our planet.

Being a global citizen means seeing ones self as part of a collective. It involves being responsible for issues affecting people globally. It also means identifying ones self as part of the emerging global community and being a person whose actions contribute to the building community practices and values (de Andreotti, 2014). One is expected to understand that every action he or she takes has an impact on the world that surrounds him or her, as well as that of others. An individual who is an active global citizen takes action to build a more stable and just world. I once never considered myself a global citizen. However, traveling to the different parts of the word has taught me a lot about global cultures. Exploring the cultures and meeting different people helped me realize just how connected the world is. I now consider myself a competent global citizen considering that I am constantly trying to understand and learn more, as well as contribute positively to the wellbeing of the world. Education has greatly contributed to my role as a competent global citizen and helped me understand issues and topics affecting the world. Nowadays, I have a huge concern for the global community, coupled with the planet that we share. I can now take more action in minimizing the damage being done on our planet. I now understand diversity even more like the case of micro-lending.

The given concept seems to be gaining momenta, especially among the big wave of entrepreneurial minds that are currently developing in the country. Micro-lending is defined as the act of lending an individual a small amount of money. Such loans could range from $30 to $1300 hence referred to as micro (Choo, Lee, Dilkina, Zha, & Park, 2014). In many cases, such loans are requested by small businesses in need of a small amount of money to expand or young entrepreneurs who are just starting a new business. While going through the Kivas site, I learned that not every business qualify for this type of a loan. This is because of some risks that a business could experience in the various commercial categories. For instance, a business that focuses on a section of the market that is considered riskier like the stock market does not qualify for these loans. The site also emphasizes the importance of offering loans to businesses that strictly follow the global citizen initiative. An example is an individual asking for cash to start a business that is meant to deal with issues of protecting the environment. Such a business often would have a better chance of securing the loan. If I were to advocate for a business, it would involve the use of water to produce clean energy. Today, the world is not consuming a large percentage of its water; as such, the excess water can be utilized to produce even more hydro-power. This sounds like the best idea to deal with the increasing carbon emissions from unsafe energy production means. After going through the Kiva site, the Pakistan Jinnah Welfare Society stands out as the company that is more deserving of a loan. From the Kiva site, focus on antipoverty actions, community empowerment, family and client voice, innovation and entrepreneurial support are their main strengths (Muhammad, 2010). They provide support to small-scale farmers through things such as integrated training and financing, improve living standards and sustaining businesses.

References

Choo, J., Lee, D., Dilkina, B., Zha, H., & Park, H. (2014, April). To gather together for a better world: Understanding and leveraging communities in micro-lending recommendation. In Proceedings of the 23rd international conference on World Wide Web (pp. 249-260). ACM. https://smartech.gatech.edu/bitstream/handle/1853/49249/GT-CSE-2013-05.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y

de Andreotti, V. O. (2014). Soft versus critical global citizenship education. In Development education in policy and practice (pp. 21-31). Palgrave Macmillan UK. https://www.developmenteducationreview.com/issue/issue-3/soft-versus-critical-global-citizenship-education

Lyons, K., Hanley, J., Wearing, S., & Neil, J. (2012). Gap year volunteer tourism: Myths of global citizenship?. Annals of tourism research, 39(1), 361-378. http://wordpress.reilumatkailu.fi/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/artikkeli24.pdf

Muhammad, S. D. (2010). Microfinance challenges and opportunities in Pakistan. http://www.arabic.microfinancegateway.org/sites/default/files/mfg-en-paper-microfinance-challenges-and-opportunities-in-pakistan-2010.pdf