My name is Genevieve Murphy and I am one of the original co-founders of Know My World. I am pleased to share that I am stepping into the director and CEO position with the intention of continuing to move Know My World forward with the vision and mission we developed at the start of this organization 9 years ago. One constant in my life has been my passion for working with and creating a positive impact for young people. When I was 6 years old, I decided I wanted to become a teacher, and that decision never wavered. I pursued my degree in K-6 Education at the University of North Carolina Greensboro, and shortly after graduating, I took a huge leap of faith, and stepped into the world of international education. My journey began 13 years ago as an Assistant Language Teacher in Japan through the JET Programme, which wound up being one of the most transformative experiences of my life. Life in Japan was 180 degrees different than the life I was used to living in the US. It was an experience filled with challenges and obstacles, but also full of amazing experiences and new awarenesses. It sparked a deep appreciation for the vast varieties of cultures in the world, as well as a lifetime desire to continue to learn about and explore new cultures. After 3 years in Japan, I began working at an international school in Taiwan. I’ve been here for the past 9 years, first as an elementary teacher, and now as the Social and Emotional Coordinator.
It was my volunteer work with a local charity organization in Japan, and my amazing friendship with Lisa, that lead us to co-found Know My World. When she and I met in Japan, we bonded immediately. Our friendship lead to countless conversations about our passion for education and our awareness that there was a deep fundamental aspect within the education system that was missing in traditional classrooms. On a volunteer trip to Nepal, to work with a school affiliated with our charity organization, we were able to clearly identify the missing link we were searching for, as global awareness through human connection and cultural understanding. This is where we decided we wanted to bring about change.
Having worked in the United States, we were aware of the financial challenges of traveling, and although we understood that personal experience was the most authentic approach to cultural empathy, we knew that wasn’t plausible for many students. We then began exploring alternative options and identified digital cross-cultural exchanges to be the most effective alternative. Even after we came to that understanding, we knew that we still had to dig deeper. It’s one thing to connect with another person on a surface level, but it’s much more impacting to connect with them on an emotional and intellectual level. It was here that we included social and emotional aspects to our model with the final result being SECAL (Social, Emotional, Cultural and Academic Learning).
One thing that always impresses people about our exchanges is the quality of the interactions. The topics that are chosen and project results that are shared, truly show the amazing impact young people can have on their local community and the world at large. There is a powerful shift occurring as more and more young people are taking bold stands to fight for important changes in our world. I have always been a strong believer in the impact young people can have on the world. I’m proud that Know My World has been able to act as a catalyst in initiating deeper conversations and providing a platform for students to explore opportunities of impact.
We have shared our model and our philosophy with educators around the world through presentations at multiple conferences in the United States, Mexico, Taiwan, Thailand, China and Borneo, as well as through all the digital exchanges we have been privileged to facilitate. Since we began our work, there has been an expansion of cross-cultural and social and emotional programs that have developed, however, we would still like to add our contribution to the collective shift of educational pedagogy and approach, and maintain the relationships we have forged with all of the amazing schools we’ve been able to work with. I sincerely thank you for your continued support, and I look forward to continuing the impact we make with students in classrooms around the world through our cross-cultural digital exchanges and social and emotional programming.