Berkley Center

The IAJU Global Citizenship Fellows Program is an initiative of the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs at Georgetown University and the International Association of Jesuit Universities that empowers students from Jesuit universities around the world to become leaders in global citizenship. In June 2024, the latest cohort of fellows gathered in Rome for a transformative week-long study tour. There, they engaged in dynamic workshops, thought-provoking lectures, and enriching cultural excursions, all designed to deepen their understanding of global citizenship and inspire actionable solutions to pressing global issues.

The 2023-2024 IAJU Global Citizenship Fellows cohort consisted of 14 students hailing from 11 Jesuit universities in nine countries around the world. Students who completed the course module as part of the IAJU Global Citizenship Curriculum Project during the spring and fall 2023 semesters were eligible to apply for the program. The 14 fellows were selected from a pool of over 150 students from around the world. During the spring 2024 semester, they engaged in monthly virtual dialogues as a cohort to explore the intersections of global citizenship education with topics such as human rights, the digital revolution, climate change, interreligious dialogue, and more.

Following these dialogues, the cohort arrived in Rome, Italy on June 2, 2024 to engage in an immersive study tour where they navigated ways to enhance their learning and commitment to global citizenship through in-person group dialogues, intensive workshops, engagement with distinguished speakers, and cultural explorations. Paola Murillo Jiménez, a student at the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador, reflected on an interesting dichotomy she experienced throughout the trip.

“While interacting with my fellows, now friends, the world would feel miniscule and colossal at the same time. It blew my mind how similar we were, and yet so different.”

The fellows visited several religious and cultural sites during their tour. They were able to attend the General Papal Audience, receive a guided tour at the Vatican Museum, and visit historical locations around the city.

Apart from these cultural excursions, the fellows participated in workshops and lectures from guest speakers, including Cecilia Barbieri, Chief of the Global Citizenship and Peace Education Section for UNESCO and Mateusz Ciasnocha and Maria Virginia Solis Wahnish from the Farm of Francesco, an initiative that promotes justice in global food systems. The farm operates as part of the Economy of Francesco, a gathering of global individuals seeking to develop and maintain what Pope Francis has called “an economy of friendship with the earth and an economy of peace.” They also met with Lavinia Iovino, a young climate activist and representative at Fridays for Future Italy, a youth-led and -organized movement inspired by the work of renowned climate activist Greta Thunberg. 

The speakers personally guided the fellows through their workshops and provided a unique perspective on global citizenship education. These workshops allowed the fellows to witness various models of what a global citizen can look like and the impacts they make for the international community. Ruth Noll (C’27), a student at Georgetown University, recognized the long-term impact of the workshops.

“The best part about the skills that we learned from these workshops is that I can carry them for the rest of my academic and professional life. This fellowship wasn’t just a one-week trip. It was really a learning experience that has helped me grow as a person."

During the week, the fellows focused on projects aimed at enhancing global citizenship, organized around four key areas of concern that they identified: Belonging and Inclusion, Climate Change, International Cooperation, and Creating a Culture of Encounter. One group's proposal was to partner with the IAJU and UNESCO to develop a global citizenship curriculum for higher education. Another group proposed a plan to increase environmental, social, and governance investment by Jesuit universities to combat greenwashing and promote genuine sustainability practices. As they return from Rome, the fellows will be working on implementing these proposals at their respective universities.

Kaiei Maesaka, a student at Sophia University, left Rome excited about the future.

“It was stimulating to see each and every one of us embracing ourselves as global citizens, and the collective aspiration to be better motivated me to create positive change.”

The IAJU Global Citizenship Fellows Program will continue in spring 2025 with a new cohort traveling to Bogotá, Colombia on the occasion of the IAJU General Assembly in summer 2025. Students who participate in the global citizenship course module in the fall 2024 semester are eligible to apply for the next iteration of the program. For more information please visit the IAJU Global Citizenship Curriculum Project and the IAJU Global Citizenship Fellowship Program websites.