From the Archive: Global Citizenship 2000
Educating for the New Age
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The Global Citizenship 2000 Youth Congress, held April 4–6, 1997, at Vancouver’s Public Library, was a formative experience for the author and a pivotal event in the spread of global citizenship education. Opened by Dr. Desmond Berghofer of the International Foundation for Learning, the Congress gathered educators, community leaders, and 150 students to celebrate the concept of global citizenship and to envision a new future. The event combined Robert Muller’s World Core Curriculum, Berghofer’s “visioneering” process, and mainstream education, aiming to cultivate youth as global citizens in the 21st century.
Dr. Geraldine Schwartz, the Congress President, emphasized the need to expand consciousness, urging students to embrace a planet without borders and to act courageously on behalf of the Earth. Participants received symbolic “Global Citizenship Passports,” featuring Muller’s poem Decide to be a Global Citizen. Muller, introduced as a “planet elder,” inspired the Congress with an emotionally charged message warning of overpopulation, environmental collapse, and the urgent need for new values. He credited the UN with preventing billions of births and urged youth to reduce family sizes, dramatically framing humanity’s survival as dependent on their choices. His message stirred both children and adults, with some expressing guilt, tears, and a resolve to change.
A central element of the Congress was “visioneering” — collaborative future-shaping through mind mapping. Students, teachers, and leaders worked in teams to develop “Millennium Projects” aimed at advancing global citizenship. Proposals included a kids’ United Nations, a Global Citizenship theme park, and a cashless economic system based on environmental stewardship. Many schools formed or reaffirmed Global Citizenship clubs, while Simon Fraser University student teachers committed to integrating Muller’s World Core Curriculum into education — explicitly acknowledging it as values and behavioral transformation rather than traditional learning. One student suggested spreading it “like a virus — no inoculation — infect everyone.”
The Congress also highlighted spiritual and philosophical underpinnings. Muller portrayed Jesus, Muhammad, and other religious figures as emissaries from the “outer universe,” advocating for a syncretic spiritual future through initiatives like the United Religions movement. The event closed with a “Festival of Lights” and symbolic rituals, including a dramatization of the Hindu deity Ganesa, reinforcing the theme of spiritual energy guiding global transformation.
Significantly, the Congress was supported by the Canadian federal government, with Environment Canada offering funds for school projects. Muller proposed distributing the outcomes to global institutions — including the UN, UNESCO, and UNICEF — as a model for worldwide replication.
The author concludes with a sober reflection: global citizenship education is a powerful force reshaping generational values and must be critically examined by parents and communities. Without grounding in Biblical truth, the author warns, families risk losing traditional beliefs as education increasingly adopts Earth-centered, activist, and quasi-spiritual paradigms. The essay calls for Christians to stand firm and engage actively with education to counter the “occult energy” shaping culture.
