Becoming a Global Citizen
FoundationWe are Hong Kong citizens and global citizens of the world village: care about global issues such as poverty, climate change and refugees, live sustainably, and help others however we can.
- We belong to family, school, Hong Kong and our nation — and to the world village as global citizens.
- Everyday things come from everywhere; the world and our lives are tied together.
- Global issues — poverty, climate change, refugees and disease — need nations to work together.
文體小知識：公民教育說明文這一次把視野放到全世界，認識世界公民的身分和可以做到的行動。
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1We hold many identities: a member of a family, a pupil, a Hong Kong citizen, a national of China — and a global citizen of the world village. The world village means the world is ever more connected: the phone we use may be made in China with parts from Korea and Japan; our clothes come from Bangladesh and Vietnam; the coffee beans in one cup come from Brazil and Ethiopia.
2A global citizen cares about global issues. Poverty: hundreds of millions still live on very little each day, without clean water or enough food. Climate change: a warming world melts glaciers and raises sea levels, and extreme weather grows more common. Refugees: war has driven tens of millions from their homes. Disease: epidemics know no borders, and an outbreak anywhere affects the whole world.
3Sustainable development means meeting today's needs without damaging those of the next generation. The United Nations has set seventeen Sustainable Development Goals, including ending poverty, quality education, clean water and climate action. Global citizens can live in line with these goals: save water and electricity, waste less food, and choose fair-trade products so that producers are paid fairly.
4Primary pupils can be global citizens too: switch off lights and carry your own bottle to cut waste; join school charity sales and book donations to send goods where needed; learn about other countries' cultures and respect friends from every nation; follow international news and discuss it with family. The Earth is our common home; when everyone does their bit, the world grows better.
1Summary 重點摘要
We are Hong Kong citizens and global citizens of the world village: care about global issues such as poverty, climate change and refugees, live sustainably, and help others however we can.
2Vocabulary cards Vocabulary
Someone who cares about global affairs and does their part for the world.
The modern world, closely connected like one village.
A problem affecting the whole world, such as poverty and climate change.
The state of lacking the basic needs of life.
Long-term change of the world's climate, bringing extreme weather and rising seas.
A person forced to flee home by war or disaster.
Meeting today's needs without damaging those of future generations.
Trade that ensures producers receive fair returns.
The seventeen global goals set by the United Nations.
3Step by step Steps
- Step 1: Know your many identitiesEach of us holds several identities at once, playing a different role in different places. For example, a child in the family, a pupil at school, a citizen of Hong Kong, and a global citizen of the world village. Knowing our many identities tells us that each carries its own duty: filial to parents at home, diligent at school, law-abiding in the community, and caring towards the world — fulfilling each one by one.
- Step 2: Discover the world in daily lifeOur daily life is closely linked to the world, and many things around us come from different countries. For example, check your schoolbag — a pencil made in China, an eraser from Thailand, a book printed on the mainland; the world is at hand. These links are made by transport and trade, with countries buying and selling goods and services from one another. Knowing this helps us see how countries depend on one another, and that globalisation lives in our daily life.
- Step 3: Learn the global issuesMany issues affect all humanity and need countries to face them together. For example, poverty keeps some children out of school and hungry; climate change brings stronger typhoons and disturbed rains; war drives refugees from home, and nations must help one another. These issues are not far away, and what happens around the world also touches Hong Kong. Understanding them is the first step to becoming a global citizen.
- Step 4: Learn the Sustainable Development GoalsThe United Nations has set seventeen Sustainable Development Goals, calling on all countries to work together. For example, goals include ending poverty, quality education, clean water and climate action, all tied closely to daily life. They aim to meet today's needs without harming the living conditions of the next generation. They deserve everyone's understanding, support and action, starting from small things.
- Step 5: Live a saving lifestyleThe world's resources are limited, and living thriftily is every global citizen's duty. For example, turn off the tap while brushing teeth to save four to six litres each time; serve only what you will eat to cut food waste; switch off lights as you leave to save electricity. Small saving habits add up to great amounts, lightening the load on the Earth and leaving resources for those who need them more.
- Step 6: Support fair trade and givingThe choices we make as consumers and givers can help people in need around the world. For example, buy chocolate with the fair-trade label so cocoa farmers earn a fair income instead of being squeezed on price; donate old books and toys to places in need, so goods are used to the full. Such actions improve life far away and teach us to care and to share, showing that our own choices can change the world.
- Step 7: Build the habit of following the worldCaring about the world must become a habit to keep our eyes open for long. For example, watch international news with family once a week — beyond the World Cup and Olympics, follow typhoons, earthquakes and relief efforts too; read books introducing different countries and learn their cultures and ways of life. Knowing what is happening in the world and thinking what we can do, the identity of a global citizen slowly takes shape.
4Diagrams Diagrams
5Worked example Example
Example: the class plans a Global Citizen Week. Design three achievable actions for Primary 4 pupils, and name the global issue each action matches.
- Action one: appoint light-and-water wardens to remind classmates to switch off lights and taps — matching climate change, as saving energy cuts emissions.
- Action two: hold a used-book sale and donate the proceeds to groups supporting children's education in poor regions — matching poverty and education.
- Action three: hold a World Culture Day where pupils introduce their home town or a country they love — matching understanding and inclusion.
- Review the effect: record the week's change in electricity use and the sale's takings, and report to the class to give the actions meaning.
- Answer: Saving water and power matches climate change, the book sale matches poverty and education, and Culture Day matches understanding and inclusion. All three start small yet link the classroom with the world — that is global citizenship in practice.
6Common mistakes Mistakes
7Quick check Quick check
Q1What is the global village?
Q2Name two global issues.
Q3What is sustainable development?
Q4What does fair trade do?
Q5How can primary pupils act as global citizens?
8Recap Recap
- We belong to family, school, Hong Kong and our nation — and to the world village as global citizens.
- Everyday things come from everywhere; the world and our lives are tied together.
- Global issues — poverty, climate change, refugees and disease — need nations to work together.
- Sustainable development meets today's needs without harming the next generation.
- Save resources, back fair trade, give to others, follow world news — anyone can be a global citizen.