Launched in 1989 and an independent non-profit organization since 1993, Global Kids’ mission is to educate and inspire urban youth to become successful students, global citizens and community leaders by engaging them in academically rigorous, content-rich learning experiences. Since its inception in 1989, Global Kids has been committed to meeting the needs of marginalized youth in under-resourced schools and neighborhoods of New York City. Through leadership development, academic enrichment and digital media programs, Global Kids uses interactive, experiential methods to educate youth about critical international and public policy issues, and inspire them to take action.

To date, Global Kids has established an impressive and credible track record and worked with more than 120,000 students and educators in New York City and beyond. Global Kids has enriched school environments through global education, community building, leadership development and personal skill building. Global Kids programs have received national recognition for exemplary practices in international education, digital media programming, experiential learning, and youth development. The organization maintains strong partnerships with the NYC Department of Education, the Council on Foreign Relations, the United Way of New York City, and the After-School Corporation, among many others.



Global Kids’ flagship program, the Power of Citizenry Leadership Program, was launched in 1996. Today, the program has grown to involve more than 700 students each year who gain leadership skills, an understanding of global issues, and exposure to higher education and career opportunities. Each year, through workshops, conferences, campaigns, theatre performances, and the internet, the Global Kids youth leaders educate more than 5,000 of their peers. Participants in the program have traveled to countless conferences and events around the United States and traveled to train and interact with their peers in Croatia, South Africa, Denmark, Costa Rica, Kenya and Eritrea, Haiti, South Africa, Northern Ireland, and other countries. 



In 2000, Global Kids launched the path-breaking Online Leadership Program, which has reached millions of youth around the world. For this pioneering program, Global Kids is a national leader for utilizing innovative digital media to promote international education and youth civic engagement. 



In 2004, Global Kids founded the High School for Global Citizenship, an innovative small high school in Brooklyn that aims to create a community of active learners who are engaged participants in the democratic process and are learning about foreign policy issues and the connections between their personal lives and international events. The school has been recognized by Department of Education officials as one of the City’s leading small schools.

In 2008-2009, Global Kids reached over 16,000 youth and educators face-to-face through our flagship Power of Citizenry program, and hundreds of thousands more through our Online Leadership Program. Despite multiple barriers to success, over 95% of the high school seniors in our leadership programs graduated from high school in 2009, and close to 90% went on to college, many receiving financial support and scholarships because of experiences gained through Global Kids.