06/15/2023

Going Beyond Borders

The case for global learning

It is hard to imagine a world without borders. Yet, for most of human history, that is exactly what life was like. Yes, of course, there have always been natural borders, like mountain ranges and bodies of water that restrict travel, but formal political borders that divide countries are a more recent phenomenon. In fact, over half of all national borders were created in the 20^th century. The creation of borders is for the most part a sad history marked by conflict, colonialism and war.

Borders create unnecessary and harmful barriers not just between people and resources but also ideas.

Consider this: A 2023 survey conducted by Candid amongst people working in philanthropy found that 66 percent of U.S. funders' grantmaking is not informed or inspired by global ideas. Given the myriad of interconnected problems the world is facing, it’s a number that should be troubling to anyone.

Please select this link to read the complete article from SSIR.