GLOBAL UP
with the AFS Global Competence Certificate Program

The AFS Global Competence Certificate (GCC) is a blended learning program that develops tangible global skills essential to live, work, and make a real social impact around the world.

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Global Up with a unique program that develops essential & lifelong global “power skills”: collaboration, critical thinking, problem solving, cross-cultural communication, open-mindedness & flexibility.

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 Different versions of the GCC program meet the needs of: students, staff or faculty, professionals across a variety of disciplines from around the world whether or not they’ll have a study abroad experience.

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Global Up Abraod

GCC Abroad develops learners’ global competence before, during and after their international experience. The curriculum is delivered in 18 online modules supported by trained Qualified Facilitators.

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Global Up At Home

In the GCC At Home learners have the opportunity to collaborate effectively across differences in a program requiring no travel. It brings into learners’ awareness that culture is all around us within our own communities.

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Global Up At Work

Building on GCC At Home, GCC At Work focuses on developing global skills required to effectively work  with individuals and organizations from cultural backgrounds other than our own—competencies for every workplace.

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Global Up Teen

GCC Teen is the teen-friendly version of the award-winning Global Competence Certificate features a closed, minors-only platform for connecting and sharing with other learners worldwide.

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All GCC offers include

  • Individual accounts for online learning environment
  • Online modules with video content subtitled in multiple languages
  • Online forum space for reflecting with peers from around the world
  • Online quizzes and assignments related to content
  • Facilitated Dialogue sessions (online or in-person) run by a Qualified Facilitator 
  • A certificate upon completion
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Why organizations & learners choose the GCC to global up

Global Up: AFS Global Competence Certificate

Field-tested | research-based | Affordable | Scalable | Flexible | easy to implement | Global | Easy to use | Facilitated by cultural mentors | Innovative | Customizable

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A proven quality product based on solid intercultural theory and learning principles

“As we considered options to scale intercultural mentoring and learning for our students who study abroad for a semester or longer, the Global Competence Certificate easily rose to the top of the list of available options. It is a proven quality product based on solid intercultural theory and learning principles. We are thrilled about our partnership and how it will help us take our intercultural learning activities to a next level.”

—Michael A. Brzesinski
Dean, International Programs Office, Purdue University 

How much time is needed to global up with the GCC?

The GCC is very flexible and can be implemented over different durations that best suit your needs and availability – in a span of anywhere from two weeks to one year.

Global Up: AFS Global Competence Certificate

7 to 9 hours to complete

A closer look into the GCC educational learning goals

Become more self-aware

  • Increase cultural self-awareness through reflection
  • Identify and understand how cultural groups shape their ways of feeling, thinking, & behaving
  • Analyze and reflect on power relations, privilege and inequality

Increase awareness of others

  • Suspend judgment and be flexible in new and different cultural contexts
  • Apply effective, appropriate strategies to deal with ambiguous situations
  • Describe and manage responses to your own cultural biases and emotional triggers
  • Be aware of personal limits and be open to seek support

Learn how to manage emotional responses

  • Recognize and understand patterns of behavior and values of people from different cultural context
  • Empathize with culturally different others

Learn how to bridge across difference

  • Initiate and develop relationships with people from different cultures
  • Communicate and interact effectively and appropriately in different cultural contexts

Easy to scale, impressive results

“GCC learners are more effective intercultural communicators, they are equipped to resolve conflict and are able to bridge differences.”

—Study by Purdue University, 2018

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Customize the GCC to support your institution

A customized package for the GCC includes:

  • Core GCC program
  • Separate, individualized URL
  • Whitebranding options: photo/logo/color scheme, email headers (reply to, title from) handouts, GCC certificate
  • Up to 3 hours of custom development: creation of additional modules, editing text, forum discussion questions, shifting courses between phases, adding checkpoints, etc., as approved by AFS
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Qualified Facilitators: Supporting the learning of others

Qualified Facilitators of the Global Competence Certificate facilitate global competence learning for students, staff or faculty at your institution or organization.

Discover our upcoming Qualified Facilitator training dates.

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Global Up with us!

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These organizations & institutions already use the GCC