The Global Education Week in Romania is a flagship initiative, mobilising over 2,800 pre-university teachers in its most recent edition. Supported by the Ministry of Education through its integration into the annual curriculum planning, this opportunity provides a non-formal education framework focused on developing global citizenship competencies, redefining the initiative from an awareness-raising initiative into a catalyst for transformative pedagogical practices.

For more than 25 years, Daniela Mihaela Albu, a geography teacher at Mihai Eminescu National College in Buzău, Romania, has used global education to help students understand that global challenges begin with local action. Every year, the Global Education Week offers her students an opportunity to explore topics such as human rights, peace, inclusion, democracy and sustainability through practical, community-based activities. Over the years, Daniela has implemented dozens of projects, each leaving an impact on the participants. When asked to share a story, she chose to look back on one initiative that, ten years later, still stands as a powerful example of inclusion and lasting change in the way people live together.

During the Global Education Week organised under the theme "Make Equality Real", Daniela and her students partnered with a local special school for children with hearing impairments. Together, they formed a mixed dance group bringing together hearing and hearing-impaired students to prepare for the National Dance Competition for people with disabilities. Many of the students had never had the opportunity to interact with deaf or hard of hearing young people and found it difficult to imagine that it was possible to dance without hearing the music.

As rehearsals progressed, these perceptions quickly changed. The students discovered that their partners felt the rhythm through the vibrations produced by the speakers. Learning together requires patience, trust and constant communication. Together they practiced waltz, tango and traditional Romanian dances for weeks after school, gradually becoming a real team rather than two separate groups.

The performance exceeded everyone's expectations. The group won first prize, but the greatest achievement happened long after the applause had ended. The experience profoundly changed the attitudes of the participating students. They learned the sign language alphabet, maintained friendships with their dance partners and several volunteers continued visiting the special school for years afterwards, helping their new friends with homework and daily activities throughout high school.

For Daniela, this is what global education is about. "It is not simply learning about human rights or inclusion. It creates opportunities to experience them. When young people work together, they stop seeing differences as barriers."

The impact extended beyond the students themselves. Families witnessed their children's growing empathy and commitment to volunteering, while the wider school community became more aware of the importance of inclusion and equal opportunities. After almost three decades of working in global education, Daniela remains convinced that lasting change begins with experiences that encourage young people to question stereotypes, develop empathy and take responsibility within their communities.

For her, the Global Education Week is much more than an annual awareness raising activity. It is an educational approach that equips young people with the values, critical thinking and civic engagement needed to become active citizens capable of building more inclusive, democratic and sustainable societies.

"Change begins with education. Every activity, every discussion and every encounter has the potential to shape not only how young people see the world, but how they choose to act within it."

 The next edition of the Global Education Week will take place from 16 to 22 November 2026 under the motto "My Voice, Our Action, A Common Future." Visit the webpage for more information.

The Global Education Week is an awareness-raising event implemented by the North-South Centre of the Council of Europe and the Global Education Network in the framework of the iLEGEND III, a joint programme of the European Union and the Council of Europe: co-funded by the European Union and the Council of Europe. It aims to raise awareness on Global Education as a tool for solidarity and change and contribute for a more sustainable, peaceful and equitable world.