Good Intentions Aren't Enough: Making Global Citizenship Matter with Aaron Moniz and Scott Jamieson

Global citizenship is part of nearly every international school's mission. But what does it actually look like in practice? In this episode of Education Vanguard, Justin Hardman is joined by Aaron Moniz and Scott Jamieson from Inspire Citizens to discuss how schools can move beyond good intentions and empower students to create meaningful change. Through their Empathy to Impact framework, Inspire Citizens helps schools connect classroom learning with real-world challenges, giving students opportunities to develop empathy, take action, and contribute to their communities. The conversation explores why meaningful school transformation takes time, what sustainable global citizenship education looks like, and why student leadership should involve more than holding a title. Aaron and Scott also reflect on their journey with Inspire Citizens, the challenges of building a mission-driven organisation, and the importance of protecting educator wellbeing while pursuing meaningful change. Finally, they look ahead to the AIFE Student Leadership Conference in Bangkok, exploring how AI and leadership development can help students become more confident, connected, and responsible change-makers. TOPICS COVERED 0:00 Intro & welcome 0:34 What is Inspire Citizens? 2:04 Empathy to Impact framework 5:00 5 questions for global citizenship projects 7:48 Origins of Inspire Citizens 11:42 Scott's journey 15:49 Whole-school change model 18:43 Long-term partnerships vs one-off PD 23:52 Mission vs sustainable business 31:10 Wellness & team support 34:10 Genuine student leadership 38:50 Student leadership micro-credentials 40:06 AI + Student Leadership Conference (March 2027) ABOUT OUR GUESTS Aaron Moniz is the co-founder of Inspire Citizens, an organisation dedicated to helping schools build sustainable approaches to global citizenship education. Scott Jamieson is a co-director at Inspire Citizens, working with schools, teachers, and students to develop meaningful learning experiences and student leadership opportunities. Together, they support schools in turning their commitment to global citizenship into practical, lasting change. 🌍 *Learn more about Inspire Citizens:* https://inspirecitizens.org/ *AIFE STUDENT LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE 2027* Join us in Bangkok for a student-focused conference exploring AI, leadership, and responsible innovation. 📍 NIST International School, Bangkok 📅 13–14 March 2027 Learn more: https://aife.community/aife/student-l... *LISTEN TO EDUCATION VANGUARD* 🎧 Spotify: https://21cl.link/ev-spotify-soc 🎧 Apple Podcasts: https://21cl.link/ev-applepod-soc 📺 YouTube: https://21cl.link/ev-yt-soc 📩 Subscribe to the Education Vanguard mailing list: https://confirmsubscription.com/h/d/A... #EducationVanguard #Podcast #21CL #GlobalCitizenship #InternationalSchools #StudentLeadership #AIinEducation