Global Citizenship with Purpose

By Joanna Crimmins, Secondary School Assistant Principal and IB Diploma Coordinator

Since 2019, Hong Kong Academy has celebrated the journey our students take as global citizens through the awarding of the Global Citizen Diploma (GCD) credential. Now a graduation requirement, all HKA students have the opportunity to strive towards one of three externally verified levels of recognition: certificate, diploma, or diploma with distinction. As a part of this year’s Grade 12 Goodbye Assembly, our soon-to-be Class of 2022 graduates received their GCD awards in front of their peers. 

Bringing together the core values of academic rigour, community engagement, global understanding and intercultural communication, the GCD provides a structure within which students act and reflect on the impact of their actions. Starting in Grade 9, students bring together the concepts and themes that they have been learning since their years in Primary School and consider how they might use their passions and skills to make positive change. Over their final four years of Secondary School, students document their growth in up to 16 elements through the creation of a portfolio which also serves as a practical portfolio for university applications.

With an IB Diploma pass rate of 100% for the last two years and the vast majority of graduates receiving offers from their first choice university, the GCD is one of a number of ways that HKA students challenge themselves both in and beyond the classroom. As we prepare for next year, our newly established scholarship programme will help us further enhance global citizenship at HKA.

Find out more about HKA’s unique educational programmes by visiting us or joining a Virtual Open House