Church’s humanitarian agency launches partnership with Catholic high schools

It is a big world out there; and as Pope Francis has often said, it is a world Catholics are called into to serve their neighbors with the numerous gifts they have at their disposal. One such gift is knowledge; and to help youth become more internationally aware and globally responsive Catholic Relief Services is teaming up with Catholic high schools in a unique partnership called the CRS Global High School program.

Carolyn Woo, President and CEO of Catholic Relief Services announced the partnership on April 7 at the National Conference of Catholic Educators in Orlando, Florida. Fourteen high schools that served in the four-year-long pilot have accepted the invitation to become CRS Global High Schools and to serve as “Platinum Level” models and resources for Catholic Schools in their region.

“Drawing from our experience overseas, CRS has developed resources to help Catholics pursue a lifelong relationship with our brothers and sisters around the world, to better understand how Catholic teaching calls us to serve others as we gain a deeper understanding of our place in the human family," Woo said. "For young people, the CRS Global High Schools initiative, with its inventive introduction to global topics, helps begin that lifelong journey.

Woo said that CRS has similar programs with Catholic universities that engage students and faculty with the poor overseas. Such partnerships are among the ingredients that distinguish Catholic education in the United States, she said.

Since beginning the pilot in 2011, teachers and administrators along with CRS staff have worked together to create a rich and relevant collection of resources schools can use to introduce and explore the concepts of global solidarity with their students. Lesson plans, prayer services and school-wide events have been designed and tested by the 14 pilot schools across the country.

What makes the CRS Global High Schools special is that the topics of social justice and global solidarity are not limited to one department, but rather are designed to be integrated into all aspects of the schools’ academic, religious and social life. The entire school community–administrators, faculty, staff, students and parents can engage in planning and implementing the components of the program.

“This program works for Bishop Shanahan High School because it augments and celebrates the charism and mission of our school community and lets us adapt what works for us based the interest and needs we have each year,” said Sister Maureen McDermott, principal of Bishop Shanahan High School in Downington, Pennsylvania.

“There really is nothing like this program in Catholic high schools today,” said Matthew Marshall, social studies teacher and director of interdisciplinary projects integrating technology and global issues at Cornelia Connelly High School in Anaheim, California. “It is the first time for an international humanitarian organization and Catholic high schools to build an integrated, multi-faceted curriculum together that provides community-wide engagement through the lens of global solidarity.”

Catholic high schools can sign-up to participate at introductory and beginning levels called Silver and Gold levels. There is no cost to the schools to participate or use the CRS Global High School Program resources. For more information visit www.education.crs.org\ghs.