What if school introduced you to exciting new possibilities and you got to choose what to learn?
What if school was a place where you could be yourself?
What if school was joyful? What if school was kind?

Unitarian Universalist Families Have a Place at GVS

How can Unitarian Universalist (UU) families provide their children with an education aligned with UU values? Global Village School can help.

Founded in 1999, the creation of Global Village School was fueled by deep concerns about violence, discrimination, and the state of the planet, along with a compelling vision of a better world. We are an international K-12 homeschool diploma program that empowers students to cultivate their gifts and passions by engaging them in a creative, flexible education process grounded in the principles of peace, justice, diversity, and sustainability. We partner with schools, groups, and individual families to provide the kind of education that prepares students to be wise and capable stewards of the planet and each other.

UU families are welcome to enroll their children in Global Village School. Global Village will be the official “school of record,” maintaining student files, providing written evaluations, issuing official transcripts, and providing diplomas upon graduation. We will provide curriculum (regular or customized) and individualized teacher support. Families can also choose to purchase curriculum only, or to work with Global Village teachers on selected courses. Families can also use our learning styles profile, whether or not they wish to enroll.

Global Village School (GVS) and Unitarian Universalists share the same values and principles:

Our values include peace, compassion, justice, sustainability, community, integrity, appreciation of diversity, caring for the Earth and our fellow beings, creativity, and living an authentic and meaningful life.

Like UU’s, we believe in the inherent worth and dignity of every person, we have deep respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part, and we have the goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all. We believe that each person must be free to search for what is true and right in life.

​It is from these values and beliefs that Global Village courses such as Planetary Stewardship, Literature of Diversity, The History of Civil Rights in the U.S., International Human Rights, and Reflections on Peacemaking have emerged.

How our program works:
Global Village families choose between structured text and online curriculum; fully customized curriculum based on their individual interests, needs, and learning styles; or – for those who are already experienced homeschoolers – using their own curriculum. We offer a wide variety of classes. Core subjects such as English, history, math, and science often contain peace, diversity, and environmental themes. We also offer specialized courses such as The Buddhist Path to Peace, Planetary Stewardship, Reflections on Peacemaking, Peace & Diversity Studies Seminar, Global Spirituality and Activism, and a variety of other classes that address current issues in the world and provide students with role models and examples of peaceful social change. GVS teachers assist each student individually and provide feedback, support, and documentation.

"I have been homeschooling my son, an only child, for 7 years now. We've traveled through many different homeschooling styles as well as curriculums. We quickly left school-at-home and moved into eclectic. Our progress to Global Village School was unfortunately much slower. We had been using a conservative Christian curriculum with a global focus; I got tired of having to pre-read recommended books to see if anything in them offended me, went against my values as a Unitarian  Universalist. When I found GVS on a UU homeschoolers list, I knew I'd "found THE one."

Joelle, UU Parent

What makes Global Village School unique?

Founded in 1999, Global Village School is an accredited, highly personalized K-12 distance-learning diploma program that empowers parents around the world to provide an inspiring, enlivening, relevant, and engaging educational experience for their children. We dedicate ourselves to nurturing the well-being of children, families, communities, and our Planet Earth. Our homeschool curriculum integrates self-knowledge, social justice, and sustainability studies with the core subjects.

Our Approach

• We meet students where they are, adjusting our approach to meet their needs.
• We empower students to care for themselves, their communities, and the planet.
• We focus on core academic skills, self-knowledge, and global citizenship.
• Each child is the author of their own learning journey. Students set their learning paths based on their individual passions, interests, and skills.
• We support creativity and connection.
• We provide a personalized, nurturing environment.

Our Mission,  Vision, and Values

• We support families shaping tomorrow's global citizens with an individualized, enlivening, and holistic educational experience.

• We envision a vibrant, diverse culture where people live authentic and meaningful lives, understand their deep interconnection and interdependence with the rest of the planet, and are inspired to tend to our global community and environment.

• We value connection and relationship.
• We will treat you with compassion and respect.
• We are a non-profit organization; we exist to be of service to children and the world.

​Our Proven Track Record

• Supporting homeschooling families for over 20 years, since 1999.
• We have earned accreditation from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) through a rigorous and continual self-study process
• Numerous colleges have accepted our graduates.
• Our teachers have many decades of experience.
• We are an international community of kindred spirits: we have served families in 48 states and over 50 countries. Global Village families care about supporting their children’s unique gifts and talents while striving to make the world a better place.

How our program works

Global Village families choose between structured text and online curriculum; fully customized curriculum based on their individual interests, needs, and learning styles; or – for those who are already experienced homeschoolers – using their own curriculum. We offer a wide variety of classes. Core subjects such as English, history, math, and science often contain peace, diversity, and environmental themes. We also offer specialized courses such as Planetary Stewardship, Reflections on Peacemaking, Literature of Diversity, LGBT Literature, and a variety of other classes that address current issues in the world and provide students with role models and examples of peaceful social change.

GVS teachers assist each student individually and provide feedback, support, and documentation.​
​
Students can earn elective credit for many different kinds of life experiences, such as travel, participating in cultural events, performing in community theater productions, pursuing a career in athletics or the film industry, or starting their own business. Global Village youth engage in a wide range of activities, including: studying anatomy, working on political campaigns, studying science at local national parks and wilderness areas, writing novels and screenplays, publishing alternative newspapers, learning their tribal language and traditions, and operating home recording studios. Many Global Village students get a head start on the next leg of their journey by enrolling in community college courses while working towards their high school diploma.

Partnering with schools and groups

Attending and giving presentations at different Unitarian Universalist conferences and events – and having a UU core staff member - has given us the opportunity to speak with a number of Unitarian parents. We have found that people can make use of our services in various ways. Some UU homeschoolers may have everything they need except for some curriculum. Others may want to form a local private school, but do not have the time or resources they need. Global Village can provide a full program, be the official school of record and provide full curriculum and teacher support. Or, we can “fill in the gaps,” in those cases where a school or group might only need a few courses and a limited amount of teacher support, or perhaps might want to use our learning styles profile and/or have us design individualized curriculum for their students.

Come Alive with Global Village School!

Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and then go do that,
because what the world needs is people who have come alive.
Howard Thurman

Learn more about Global Village School's accredited distance learning program

​​Please explore the wealth of information we've shared about the Global Village School homeschooling program.

Enrollment

Learn more about enrolling in Global Village

Enrollment

K-8 Curriculum

Learn more about our K-8 curriculum

K-8 Curriculum

High School Curriculum

Learn more about our high school curriculum

High School Curriculum