The moral responsibility of global citizens, engaged by their international education, to add sustainable value to their communities through an interest based approach have been the themes that one always find in this section of the WM.
 

Principles are not easy nor convenient, each alumna/alumnus has to actively uphold them as they bind our community otherwise we, individually or collectively, will not progress and add sustainable value. 

I would like to build upon my previous message that concluded that our community is “ever so grateful to the many generations of people before us, from all walks of life, that have changed so many things for the better and brought us to where we are today. We live in the best period of humankind and we can only be grateful and cherish what we have if we acknowledge and celebrate relationships such as the one between Romania and AISB.” 

This summer I have welcomed in our association alumna Aries Brown (Class of 2019) the author of ‘I’m either too black or not black enough’ a published article, which I recommend everyone reads (https://thebite.aisb.ro/index.php/to-be-black-an-aisb-experience). 

The article raises issues of racism combined with a degree of ignorance within our school. Aries, as a responsible global citizen, also started a student-led initiative for educational discussion and to celebrate our diversity. In this way, in the interest of our community she adds sustainable value to it by making it less discordant. This is what critical thinking means, not only raising an issue but doing something meaningful and sustainable to address it. 

This is where strength comes from, recognising when we are not living to our highest potential and encouraging people to stand up and change it for the better. Progress is not straightforward or always evident but our community has generations of responsible global citizens and we can do it right. 

The theme of this WM is family and our community is much like a family, in that it is not perfect. The only way forward is to embrace our diversity and individuality, honour our culture and that of others and understand the world we live in. Doing this and basing our decisions on critical thinking will add sustainable value to our lives.
 

Alexandru Cristescu 

Association President