Visibly, the ways people live and work are changing rapidly in the 21st Century. This makes us think about changes that might occur in the future and how our future life will look. Assuming that many jobs we see today will not exist, and completely new business and career will emerge, it is important to have the next generation project themselves in the future and share their perspectives towards the life they want to lead and how they would like to spend their time for that.
On May 10, in the IVECA virtual live class, Centro Educativo Varones High School students from Monterrey, Mexico and Hoover High School from Alabama, USA discussed the living in 2030 and the values they think are most important to have in their future life. The students talked not only about themselves and the professions they would like to have, but also about how they want to share life with others and be of use for their communities. This live class enabled students to exchange intercultural perspectives regarding how to ensure human dignity in the future together. They also addressed how future technology should be used to create a sustainable planet for humanity and to live in harmony.
Both U.S. and Mexican students demonstrated optimistic viewpoints about their future together as global citizens who want to have a world full of love, respect and honesty towards the others. Emphasizing individuals’ responsibility for the interconnected global society, students envisioned the year 2030 would be more peaceful and prosperous with socio-economic well-being and equality—what they called “transforming lives” and “the green world”.
Additionally, it was fascinating that in this virtual meeting students used their partner country’s language–the U.S. students presented in Spanish, while Mexican students shared their views in English. Such a bilingual collaborative learning environment facilitated mutual respect and appreciation for other languages and cultures. The live class was ended with closing remarks by Don H., Hoover High School Principal, and Rodolfo M., Centro Educativo Varones Board Advisor.
“On our first opportunity to participate in this excellent program for good global citizenship, we realize that students and teachers really enjoyed the intercultural exchange experience to become Mexican-American friends, improving their capacity and vision.” (Rodolfo M.)