"We prepare students to engage in the world that is and to help bring about a world that ought to be."
Student Life

Global Education

Global Education Mission Statement

In keeping with our Quaker mission to “prepare students to engage in the world that is and to help bring about a world that ought to be,” a global education at Friends Seminary empowers students to lead intentional lives of meaning and impact in our complex, interconnected, and dynamic world. At Friends Seminary we guide students to engage in a culture of curiosity that encourages them to seek multiple perspectives and take courageous action for others. Through wide-ranging curricular offerings, as well as through varied co-curricular opportunities, community engagement, and purposeful local, national and international experiences, students grow the knowledge, essential skills and empathy necessary to understand and address shared global challenges.
Adopted February 2024

 

Global Citizenship

Friends Seminary encourages students and faculty to see themselves as active participants in shaping an ever-evolving world. The Friends Global Education Program fosters real-world engagement through strategic partnerships and immersive experiences rooted in mutual respect, cross-cultural understanding, equity, and justice.

At Friends, global education extends far beyond travel. Beginning in Lower School, students engage in curriculum and experiences that integrate culture, language, and service, laying the foundation for global citizenship. Our goal is for every student to encounter multiple meaningful global education opportunities—both locally and internationally—before they graduate.

The CPEJ team supports this mission by providing students with experiences through classroom learning, community engagement, and diversity, equity, and belonging initiatives, as well as through purposeful travel. These opportunities cultivate the knowledge, skills, and empathy students need to “help bring about a world that ought to be.”

Friends Seminary’s Global Education programs are grounded in the four global competencies outlined by the United Nations’ Organization for Economic and Cultural Development. These competencies define the essential knowledge, skills, and mindsets students need to navigate and contribute to an interconnected world. At Friends, globally competent students are equipped to:
  • Investigate the World – They are curious, engaged learners who seek to understand global issues and how the world functions.
  • Recognize Perspectives – They acknowledge their own viewpoints while appreciating that others may see the world differently.
  • Communicate Ideas – They can effectively express themselves, both verbally and non-verbally, across diverse cultural and linguistic contexts.
  • Take Action – They apply their knowledge and skills to effect meaningful change in their communities and beyond.


 

Global Education in Each Division

List of 3 frequently asked questions.

  • Lower School

    In Lower School, Global Education competencies are integrated into the the curriculum in Kindergarten through Grade 4. Throghout students' explorations of reading, writing, social studies, art, dance, music and other subjects, they are encouraged to investigate the world, recgonize their own and others' perspectives, communicate their ideas with a diverse audience and take appropriate action when they can.

    Students in Grade 4 also take a special course—Global GoalKeepers—taught by the CPEJ team and based on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The class aims to teach about the goals and empower students to teach others about and advance the goals as change agents. We visit the United Nations and the class culminates with a final project/presentation called Bringing about the Change.

  • Middle School

    Global competencies are also integrated into Middle School curriculum across disciplines. Additional programming in Middle School include Global Student Dialogues and the GoLead course in Grades 5-8.

    Middle School Global Student Dialogues: Grade 7 & 8 students participate in regular global dialogues with students across the globe about issues such as Climate Change, Gender Equality, and more. Friends is a leading partner school in GEBGs Global Student Dialogue program.
     
    GoLead: In the GoLead curriculum, Middle School students learn about climate change, sustainability and water resources in the U.S. and around the globe, about human rights and advocating for change (letter writing campaigns locally and globally), and about themselves as advocates and change makers for the issues they feel strongly about. Day of Service connects to the Grade 6 curriculum directly—students participate in a beach cleanup in Far Rockaway.

  • Upper School

    Upper School students continue to learn broadly across the curriculum about the world around them, develop skills like perspective taking and respectful dialogue in their own and in other languages, they engage with global issues as lobbyists (through organizations like Friends Council on National Legislation) and through service learning and community engagement. 
     
    Upper school students also participate in Global Student Dialogues on a variety of topics. Two of our students serve as Student Leaders of this program, helping to plan dialogue topics and formats and to facilitate these dialogues with students from across the globe.
     
    In addition, Upper School students also have opportunities to move beyond their comfort zones as they participate in purposeful, mission-driven travel and exchange programs: a Spanish language exchange and global travel opportunities including a Civil Rights Program in the American South, Indigenous Ways of Being in Vancouver, and an exploration of South Africa in June 2025.
     

Morocco: Crossroads of Culture | March 2026

How do history and culture shape perspectives and practices related to religion, art, gender, and identity? At the tip of North Africa, Morocco has been an intersection of cultures for centuries. From Berber communities to the arrival of Islam; French colonization to the current Kingdom, new traditions, languages, and values have evolved. And in today's post-colonial realm, the country continues to redefine itself and how it relates to the rest of the world.
 
Our program will explore the history of this fascinating region, and the current challenges and opportunities across the country. In Rabat we will dive into the historical influence of Islam, visit important sites of the Jewish faith, and consider the legacies of French colonialism. In Marrakesh, we will experience the crossroads of the country and see how different communities come together today. 
 
Our program will be guided by these queries: What can we learn from this multicultural and multilingual place? And how might we draw from this experience to cultivate understanding across cultural differences in our own communities?

 

Iceland: Sagas and Sustainability | June 2026

In Iceland, sagas have been retold for centuries, oral and written, as a way of remembering and interpreting the past. And today, stories and creative writing are still shaping how Icelanders connect with current ideas about sustainability and cultural identity. This program will provide an opportunity to explore Iceland's historic sites, dramatic waterfalls, and awe-inspiring glaciers, as we begin to unravel the stories that have shaped Icelandic culture and sustainability, and seek inspiration for the stories we want to tell about our world. 
 
Our exploration of Iceland will center on these queries: How do we make the urgency of climate change more accessible? How can we share our first-hand experience in Iceland with others to encourage changes that will benefit us all?


 

Spanish Language Exchange Program

CPEJ and the World Language Department are excited to offer the opportunity for Upper School students to participate in the Friends Seminary—Colegio Sant Ignasi Barcelona Exchange Program! The program is open to rising tenth and eleventh grade students currently studying Spanish. Applicants must be taking or have completed at least level 2 Spanish with a B+ average or higher and have the recommendation of the Spanish teacher. They must also be in overall good academic standing, have solid disciplinary and attendance records, and demonstrate leadership in their contributions to our school community. An interview in Spanish is part of the application process.
 
Up to six students are selected each school year to travel to Barcelona in March. While it is not a program requirement, if families are able to *host a student from Barcelona in the fall (organized around the Thanksgiving holiday), it is expected that they will; this is a very enriching element of the exchange, and is strongly encouraged.

Friends students in the program travel to Barcelona in March, including the two weeks of spring break plus an additional week prior to the break. Selected students attend school with a host student and reside with a host family in Barcelona—a hub of Spanish and Catalán culture, art, and design. Applicants can expect to have a Spanish immersion experience, as well as learn about the Catalán region and language. This program is intended as a linguistic and cultural exchange, rather than strictly an academic one. Students attend a variety of classes in Spanish, but not for academic credit.

Click here to read about the 2024-2025 Barcelona Exchange Program.

 

Upper School Global Education Travel Program 2024-2025

In June 20205, 18 Upper School students and three dedicated educators—Kara Kutner, Director of the Center for Peace, Equity and Justice; Kirsti Peters, Director of Diversity, Equity & Belonging; and history teacher Stephon Richardson—embarked on a powerful journey across South Africa. Designed in partnership with EDU Africa, this immersive program invited students to explore the intersections of identity, resistance, reconciliation, and shared humanity in one of the world’s most culturally and historically complex nations.

Rooted in the School’s Global Education mission, the experience empowered students to lead lives of meaning and impact by engaging deeply with diverse perspectives and global challenges. Through personal reflection, historical inquiry, and joyful cultural exchange, students nurtured a culture of curiosity, empathy, and courageous action—hallmarks of Friends’ commitment to shaping globally conscious citizens.

Click here to read the full story.

 

Contact

Kara Kutner
Director of the Center for Peace, Equity & Justice
(646) 979-5103

Annah Heckman
CPEJ Specialist for Community Engagement
(646) 979-5106

Vancouver | 2024

Barcelona Exchange 2023-2024

Civil Rights Trip—American South | 2023

Civil Rights Trip—American South | 2018

India | 2019

Taiwan | 2019

Friends Seminary actively promotes diversity, equity, inclusion, and anti-racism in all its programs and operations, including admissions, financial aid, hiring, and all facets of the educational experience. To form a community which strives to reflect the world’s diversity, we do not discriminate on the basis of race or color, religion, nationality, ethnicity, economic background, physical ability, sex, gender identity or expression, or sexual orientation. Friends Seminary is an equal opportunity employer.
FRIENDS SEMINARY
222 East 16th Street
New York, NY 10003
P: 212-979-5030
F: 212.979.5034
Friends Seminary — the oldest continuously operated, coeducational school in NYC — serves college-bound day students in Kindergarten-Grade 12.