Global Society Academy
The GS Academy is an educational institution in the service of global civil society. Its purpose is to provide structured education and communication training to those who take on responsibility within the global civil society, and to strengthen the shared understanding on which voluntary cooperation depends.
The GS Academy supports the global society community by equipping individuals to lead, to advise, and to report with competence and common purpose.
Beyond this, the Academy offers educational programs for young people, educators, and schools — carrying its educational mission from the civil society community into formal and non-formal education.
The work of the Academy is grounded in the Global Consent, adopted on 12 January 2026, which serves as the common foundation for cooperation across the global civil society. Participation in the Academy’s role-based programs is undertaken under commitment to the Consent.
The Academy is dedicated to education and communication. It does not confer status or office. It builds capacity — the knowledge, the practice, and the shared language required for responsible action within civil society.
Responsibility is assumed by choice, not by appointment, and the Academy exists to support that choice with rigour and consistency.
GS Leaders Foundation Session
A structured onboarding for new GS Leaders and Counselors — people that collect the global fragments and build the bridges between them. It introduces the principles of the Global Consent, the framework of cooperation within global civil society, and the responsibilities associated with leading and advising.
GS Leadership Program
A long-term training program for GS Leaders — the individuals who carry the work of the global civil society into practice — developing the competencies they need to extend their sphere of reach across people, organisations, and networks, to build collaborations from initial contact through to strategic integration, and to take on strategic activities, with each Leader anchored in their region and represented within its Leaders Council.
GS Citizen Journalism Certification Program
A certified training program for Citizen Journalists. It establishes the craft and ethical standards of reporting from within civil society. Graduates join the Global Society Citizen Journalists Certification Program and contribute to the dissemination and reporting work of the global civil society.
Sustainable Schools Program
A workshop program for school classes that transforms classroom learning into real-world action. Four interactive workshops and an immersive class trip connect the Sustainable Development Goals with personal growth, collaboration, and student-led projects — helping young people experience that they can contribute meaningfully to their communities and the wider world.
Professional Development Programs for Educators
Three complementary professional development programs for teachers, school leaders, and pedagogical staff. Combining personal development, Global Citizenship Education, and Education for Sustainable Development, they support schools in cultivating the mindsets, competencies, and learning cultures that prepare young people to shape a sustainable, peaceful, and prosperous future.
Personal Development Program for Young People
A nine-month coaching program for young people aged 15–29. Brave&Bright – Becoming the Best for a Better World helps participants discover their strengths, develop character and future skills, and find purpose through contribution — concluding with each participant’s own project concept for creating positive impact within the Global Society.
Foundation
All programs of the GS Academy operate in the service of the Global Consent. Admission to any role of responsibility is given under commitment to it. In this, the Academy follows the same principle as every other institution acting in support of the global civil society.
Team involved
Open position
Director, GS Academy
Sabrina Förster
Program Lead, Educational Programs for Young People, Educators, and Schools
Dr. Christoph A. Geisler
Program Lead, GS Leaders Foundation Session & GS Leadership Program
Edwin Ochola
Program Lead, GS Citizen Journalism Certification Program