If you could create a better and more peaceful world, what would you change? DP students at The American School of São Paulo, in Brazil, share how they would make a difference if they were in charge.
When it comes to implementing change for the greater good of humanity and world peace, maybe some of the world’s leaders could learn a thing or two from IB students.
IB Diploma Programme (DP) students from The American School of São Paulo, in Brazil, tell IB World what they would change if they were President or Prime Minister…
Patricio De La Maza
“People show their worst sides when they are desperate, and this is where violence, hate and war originate. My goal to create a better and more peaceful world would be achieved by getting rid of this desperateness by making the conditions better for everyone, by giving all of us the same possibilities from birth. I believe that giving every one of us access to quality education would bring to light everyone’s best sides, and I believe nothing can be more peaceful than a world of people who are all showing their best side.”
– Patricio De La Maza
Pedro Haegler
“The one thing I want to reform is the world’s overall mentality because nowadays we witness a lot of violence, whether physical or not. In the present world, we cannot control the diverse parental education given to young generations, but we do have the ability to change people’s views through the vital medium of education. Since varying economic conditions do not permit everyone to have access to equal opportunities, I believe that investing in public education is one of the wisest choices we can take.”
– Pedro Haegler
Katarina Hildebrandt
“We spend so much time talking about violence and how to decrease it, but it’s rare that anyone discusses peace and how to make the world a more peaceful place. To make the world more peaceful, we need to discuss it and give people ideas about what to do, not just give examples of countries that are peaceful. I would also create a campaign that includes ideas of how to make a country more peaceful, focusing not only on the country itself, but also the people.”
– Katarina Hildebrandt
Seo-Hyun Cho
“It would be ideal if we could abolish racism. As an Asian who has dealt with racism in an International school, this would be only idealistic, not realistic. However, what I’ve personally noticed is that as time goes on, I’ve dealt with fewer of these situations. Therefore, it would be vital that we have globalization and have more societies that are interconnected so that we could value our cultures instead of going against them. Education is a great way to implement this.”
– Seo-Hyun Cho
Benjamin Debrosse
“I would provide access to free and quality education to all. I believe that although every human on earth has different opinions and ideals, education has the power to bring people together to work towards a common goal. This goal can be working against global warming, wars, human rights and much more.”
– Benjamin Debrosse
Fernando Martins
“In order to create a better world, I’d strive to flip the hierarchal pyramid that surrounds society. I recently watched a Ted Talk by Sal Khan where he develops a discourse about this. When we are able to live in a society where you are able to create your own accomplishments, we would ultimately have peace. We would be able to have a very large creative class, where everyone can contribute. When we achieve this, civilization would prosper tremendously. Our current system has proven to be unsustainable.”
– Fernando Martins
Akari Esaka
“Bullying is one of the many issues creating the less peaceful atmosphere in this world. Many kids, teenagers and even adults suffer severely through this problem. I recently watched a video recording a social experiment to see who would stop the verbal bullying that was happening next to them. Many people intervened but people are often scared to take action, which could definitely save a lot of lives and help make the world a better place. Lending a hand whenever you notice they are suffering or that something is wrong will help create a more peaceful world overall.”
– Akari Esaka
Victor Bender Zevallos
“I believe that through the teaching of martial arts, we would be able to decrease the level of violence around the world. It might seem irrational to decrease violence by teaching how to fight, however through martial arts, you learn values like respect, responsibility and how to control your anger. If a programme that teaches martial arts to young citizens from underprivileged communities would be implemented, they would learn that violence is the wrong path to follow.
– Victor Bender Zevallos
Nick Engle
“I would change the world’s perspective on race, gender, economic status, religious affiliation, etc. Our world would be more peaceful if everyone accepted and loved each other without judgement or hate.”
– Nick Engle
“To create a more peaceful world, I believe listening and being open to different opinions and lifestyles will create a beneficial society for all. Not everyone needs to agree with one another, but respect and understanding is necessary to live in a mutualistic environment. To accomplish this, education is key. An opportunity for everyone to get the education they need, or want, will eliminate a lot of the ignorance and disrespect seen in our world today.”
– Caroline Zuniga
Momiji Fukushima
“I would change the education system in all the countries. For me, IB not only teaches me knowledge, but also allows me to become a good and thoughtful person, through Creativity, Action, Service (CAS) and Theory of Knowledge (TOK). If everybody has this education, people will be able to find jobs, and maybe have the opportunity to rethink about war, and world peace.”
– Momiji Fukushima
If you could create a better and more peaceful world, what would you change? Email your ideas to editor@ibo.org