Welcome
Helping young learners become global citizens
The future belongs to those who can think globally, question thoughtfully, solve problems collaboratively, and lead with empathy. Global Futures Academy helps young learners do all four.
Our programs
Clubs | Courses | Family Trips Abroad
Through our clubs, courses and family learning trips abroad, we help young people build global competencies by developing the knowledge, skills and perspectives they need to understand themselves, engage with others and navigate a changing, interconnected world.
Courses
Global Studies: Big Ideas, Big Questions
Grades: 4 - 6
Start date: February 4, 2027
End date: April 22, 2027
Frequency: 1 x per week
When: Thursdays @ 10am
Where: Virtual, online
Step-up approved
Family Trips Abroad
Family Trips Abroad
Journeys that bring learning to life.
Learning about the wider world doesn't stop with a course or participation in a club.Our Family Trips Abroad give students and families the opportunity to explore new places together—connecting what students have learned through our courses and clubs with the people, cultures, histories, and everyday life in an international destination.
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About us
Who we are
Global Futures Academy helps young learners build global competencies and become informed, responsible, and compassionate global citizens. Through our virtual clubs, courses and international family learning trips, we help students understand the wider world, think more deeply about their place in it, and build the knowledge and skills they need to thrive in a complex, interconnected world.
Our mission
We believe that young learners are introduced to global competencies too late in their educational journey. We're on a mission to change that.These competencies matter across subjects—from science and technology to the humanities—and in everyday life, not only in politics or international affairs.Our mission is to help young learners develop a global mindset and gain the knowledge, skills, and confidence they need to understand an interconnected world, engage with people and ideas across differences, and contribute thoughtfully — wherever their interests may lead.
Course overview
Global Studies: Big Ideas, Big Questions
Grades: 4-6
Start date: February 4, 2027
End date: April 22, 2027
Frequency: 1 x per week
Day: Thursdays @ 10am
Where: Virtual, online
Tuition: $320
Step-up approved
About the course
Global Studies: Big Ideas, Big Questions uses real-world topics to help students explore the people, cultures, identities, ideas and systems that shape our interconnected world.This is not your typical course. It is a carefully designed learning journey where students start with the facts and go deeper to explore the countries, people, and systems behind a major global topic.Alongside history and geography, it draws on:
* Cultural studies and anthropology
* Civics and global citizenship
* Economics and global systems, such as trade, tourism, and migration
* Environmental studies
* Health and wellbeing
* Media, digital, and AI literacy
* Research, discussion, and presentation skills
* Art, music, food, and sport also appear as ways to explore cultures.The course includes live, virtual small-group sessions. In each session, the Socratic method is used to guide teaching, discussion, and active participation. Students will return to connected, cross-subject ideas, examine global questions from different perspectives, and apply what they learn through discussion, reflection, research, and presentation.
The Big Idea for 2026/2027
The FIFA 2026 Men's World Cup was more than a football (soccer) tournament. It was a window into the world—showing us how countries, cultures, histories, languages, migration, money, identity and belonging are connected.Through this overarching Big Idea and cross-subject themes, students start with the facts and go deeper to explore Big Questions and build knowledge and skills in 10 core global competencies they need to thrive in a complex, interconnected world.
Course Outline
The Core Competencies
1. Cultural Competency: Understanding of Cultures, People, and Places
2. Wellbeing, Identity, and Self-Understanding
3. Empathy, Understanding and Navigating Difference
4. Sustainable Development Awareness and Stewardship
5. Global Interconnectedness and Systems Thinking
6. Critical Inquiry and Evaluation of Information
7. Digital, Media, and AI Literacy
8. Communication, Collaboration, and Conflict Resolution
9. Problem-Solving, Decision-Making, and Adaptability
10. Leadership and Responsible Participation
FAQs
1. Is this a soccer class?
No. This is not a sport or soccer class. The World Cup is a global lens that we use to explore people, cultures, identities, information and systems.
2. Does my child need to know or like soccer?
No prior soccer knowledge is needed. Curiosity about the wider world and willingness to take part in live discussion are the only prerequisites.
3. Is this a country-by-country geography course?
Students build knowledge of countries and places, but the course is primarily designed for students to engage with larger global studies topics in a rigorous way, while building core global competencies. If your student is primarily interested in learning about countries and cultures, our World Cultures Club might be a better fit.
Family Trips Abroad
Learn together. Travel thoughtfully. Explore the world.
Our International Family Learning Experiences bring together meaningful family learning, carefully curated travel, and a community of families who want their children to experience the wider world.
These are not ordinary group vacations and they are not student field trips. They are parent-accompanied international learning experiences designed for students and the adults traveling with them.
Each trip combines a private group itinerary operated by an experienced travel partner with a required Global Futures Academy Family Learning Experience. Families prepare together before departure, experience the destination alongside other GFA families. After returning home, they have opportunities to reflect on what they learned together and create a portfolio documenting their experiences.
What makes a GFA trip different?
We learn about the world.
Then we experience it together.
Every Global Futures Academy trip is designed as a learning journey from the outset.Built around a compelling Big Question, each journey weaves together learning, exploration and adventure. The experience begins before departure, comes alive through the people, cultures, histories and everyday life of the destination, and continues after families return home.Children and adults travel with curiosity, ask thoughtful questions and make meaningful connections—returning home with shared memories, deeper understanding and new ways of seeing the world.
From the virtual club or classroom to the wider world
At the heart of each trip is a Global Futures Academy Family Learning Experience that helps students and adults prepare for the experience.Before travelling, families learn about the destination, explore important cultural and global themes, (virtually) meet the families traveling with them, and think about how to visit another country thoughtfully and respectfully.During the trip, those ideas come to life. Students can make connections, ask questions and begin to understand a place as more than a collection of famous sights.
Travel with a community of curious families
The people you travel with can shape the entire experience.Global Futures Academy trips bring together families who want their children to become more knowledgeable, thoughtful and confident in the wider world. Families travel as a private group, sharing the adventure with others who value curiosity, cultural understanding, and meaningful learning.While exploring the world together, children and adults connect through shared discoveries, challenges and unforgettable moments. Families may begin the journey as strangers and return home as friends—with relationships that continue for years, and sometimes for life.
Family Trips Abroad
Where will we go first?
We are developing our first International Family Learning Trips for early summer 2027.Families on our interest list will be the first to receive destination options, dates, age recommendations, pricing, and registration information when each experience is released.
Joining the list does not reserve a place or commit you to traveling. It simply makes sure you hear the news first.Be the first to hear about upcoming trips