Growing up Global offers fascinating ideas for giving young people opportunities to become truly global citizens. Learning about the customs and culture of others around the globe enriches our lives so much and can only lead to better understanding and cooperation for generations to come.”—Jane Goodall
If you and your family members are interested in world cultures, if your own family background is multicultural by nature, or if you had the opportunity to travel and live in other countries during your school years, you will want to get a copy of Growing up Global: Raising Children to be at Home in the World. Author Homa Sabet Tavanger spent six years looking into ways that families can explore world cultures on a budget. Through sports, games, music, magazines, services activities, books, movies, food and language, she suggests ways that families can learn about and experience world cultures without stepping on a plane. Tavangar writes about simple ideas such as learning opportunities around watching movies, focusing on a culture for the weekend or looking for ways to offer meaningful service both locally and globally. The book also includes suggestions for ways your child can understand world faiths and ideas related to customs and celebrations from cultures around the world.
Tavanagar’s own life experience and family background support her own multicultural interests. She was born in Iran, was raised in Ohio and has lived in West and East Africa, South America and various parts of the United States. She speaks English, Farsi, Portuguese, Spanish and Swahili. Her goal when she wrote the book was to encourage children to see people living in other countries as part of the same human family rather than “the other”. Tavangar believes that “you can be whatever your faith and heritage is, but to adopt this world-embracing vision … it’s such a gift for yourself and your kids. [She’s] lived that and now [she] sees [her] own daughters … they’re excited about the world.” The book helps parents to enable their children to become global citizens.
Check out the “Look Inside” function on Amazon.com for the Growing up Global book and you will see more details about the chapters that cover the following topics:
– Be a friend
– Greet your friend
– Play
– Go to school
– Break bread
– What do they believe
– Celebrate with the world
– Watch the world
– Read a movie
– Sustain your friendship
– Service and Giving
For an excellent collection of specially selected multicultural books and resources, check out our Barefoot Books page on BCFamily.ca
Related
Growing up Global website and Facebook page
Global Giving is an online marketplace that connects you to the causes and countries you care about. You select the projects you want to support, make a tax-deductible contribution, and get regular progress updates – so you can see your impact
Here is the growing up global concept with a twist – a book about people who literally did grow up around the world. Unrooted Childhoods; Memoirs of Growing up Global, by Faith Eidse and Nina Sichel.
On a similar note, check out the reading list for this course entitled Growing up Global: Novels and Memoirs of Transnational Childhoods