1.) Global skills: Think open-minded and speak more than one language!
Climate and environment, economy and science, the web and the media - none of these care much about national borders. Challenges and chances are equally global these days. And yet, when kids talk to their language partners about school and play, music and sports, eating and drinking they understand intuitively that global thinking is just as important as the wonders of regional diversity.
2.) Cherish your family:
Fair and friendly cooperation from family to family minimizes the expenses and risks of international exchange. Global citizenship has become feasible and affordable.
Intelligent combination of the interests and ambitions of two, maybe three generations, makes life richer and partnerships more rewarding for all family members. What's more: They improve family bonds. Kids and parents have more common ground and there's always plenty to talk about.
3.) Learning with motivation:
International friendships make sure that a kid does no longer ask "Why would I need to learn this?" Languages, geography, history, natural sciences - knowledge that can be used daily is very welcome.
Lots of kids also initiate class- and school partnerships, thus exercising their organizational and leadership qualities and getting full credit for the domino effect: All of a sudden the entire class shows a much better performance!
Pass the word to parents you know: There are so many cool families out there. Connect!
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Would we even know Greta if she really spoke no English?

An idea needs to be communicated well. Then it has a chance to grow. Language is the key. Learning languages is not just restricted to schools, the family-to-family model holds tremendous potential. In international family partnerships kids learn playfully on the go, open to all who are keen to learn, with very little expense and lots of benefits. Ideally from an early age, making good use of the most formative years.

Learn more ...

A billboard saying "Skolstrejk för klimatet" has no global impact on its own. That changes when its bearer talks awesome sense in excellent English, for all the world to hear and understand.
Global Native kids grow up multilingual to become the next generation of global citizens. They too care about the climate and their ideas will make an impact. They can tell the world about them and they have each other. 

Global citizenship is no longer based on privilege. Not exclusively anyway.
Becoming a new global citizen is a matter of attitude. And about time too!

You see, raising new global citizens is not based on paying for expensive education and international experience. It is based on cooperation between like minded parents. Parents who understand just how important a global mindset is. And that their children need to connect and exchange opinions and knowledge on a global scale. It is their only chance to establish a livable future.

New Global Citizenship enables kids from all walks of life to contribute their talents and ideas. It multiplies the world's resources for responsible politics, better science and fair leadership. The 21st century urgently needs to rethink its systems! Its pool of able thinkers must be as diverse as mankind, include all levels of society and cater for exceptional abilities as well as for special needs.

New Global Citizenship will play a major role in counterbalancing growing right wing tendencies. Populists and nationalists have fostered and groomed their "we-feeling" unchecked for too long. There is a young and vibrant "international we" now.

... read more here: New Global Citizenship!
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1. They Don’t Waste Time Feeling Sorry for Themselves
Mentally strong people don’t sit around feeling sorry about their circumstances or how others have treated them. Instead, they take responsibility for their role in life and understand that life isn’t always easy or fair.

2. They Don’t Give Away Their Power
They don’t allow others to control them, and they don’t give someone else power over them. They don’t say things like, “My boss makes me feel bad,” because they understand that they are in control over their own emotions and they have a choice in how they respond.

3. They Don’t Shy Away from Change
Mentally strong people don’t try to avoid change. Instead, they welcome positive change and are willing to be flexible. They understand that change is inevitable and believe in their abilities to adapt.

4. They Don’t Waste Energy on Things They Can’t Control
You won’t hear a mentally strong person complaining over lost luggage or traffic jams. Instead, they focus on what they can control in their lives. They recognize that sometimes, the only thing they can control is their attitude.

5. They Don’t Worry About Pleasing Everyone
Mentally strong people recognize that they don’t need to please everyone all the time. They’re not afraid to say no or speak up when necessary. They strive to be kind and fair, but can handle other people being upset if they didn’t make them happy.

6. They Don’t Fear Taking Calculated Risks
They don’t take reckless or foolish risks, but don’t mind taking calculated risks. Mentally strong people spend time weighing the risks and benefits before making a big decision, and they’re fully informed of the potential downsides before they take action.

7. They Don’t Dwell on the Past
Mentally strong people don’t waste time dwelling on the past and wishing things could be different. They acknowledge their past and can say what they’ve learned from it. However, they don’t constantly relive bad experiences or fantasize about the glory days. Instead, they live for the present and plan for the future.

8. They Don’t Make the Same Mistakes Over and Over
Mentally strong people accept responsibility for their behavior and learn from their past mistakes. As a result, they don’t keep repeating those mistakes over and over. Instead, they move on and make better decisions in the future.

9. They Don’t Resent Other People’s Success
Mentally strong people can appreciate and celebrate other people’s success in life. They don’t grow jealous or feel cheated when others surpass them. Instead, they recognize that success comes with hard work, and they are willing to work hard for their own chance at success.

10. They Don’t Give Up After the First Failure
Mentally strong people don’t view failure as a reason to give up. Instead, they use failure as an opportunity to grow and improve. They are willing to keep trying until they get it right.

11. They Don’t Fear Alone Time
Mentally strong people can tolerate being alone and they don’t fear silence. They aren’t afraid to be alone with their thoughts and they can use downtime to be productive. They enjoy their own company and aren’t dependent on others for companionship and entertainment all the time but instead can be happy alone.

12. They Don’t Feel the World Owes Them Anything
Mentally strong people don’t feel entitled to things in life. They weren’t born with a mentality that others would take care of them or that the world must give them something. Instead, they look for opportunities based on their own merits.

13. They Don’t Expect Immediate Results
Whether they are working on improving their health or getting a new business off the ground, mentally strong people don’t expect immediate results. Instead, they apply their skills and time to the best of their ability and understand that real change takes time.

Link to the original article: www.lifehack.org
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This spring we celebrate 10 years of international family partnerships.
​For ten years we've added strengths and weaknesses, talents and handicaps, dreams and concerns, multiplied them by fair cooperation and got new chances and opportunities, wider horizons and a new generation of global citizens.

WHAT WE HAVE LEARNED in these ten years:
The key to a great family is sincerity.
​The key to a great family-partnership is sincerity.
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Self-branding is toxic in relationships. We want the real thing: Online profiles without photo-shopped pictures, without whitewashed information and misleading statements, no deliberate omissions. Apparent perfection and coolness inevitably lead to disappointment.

For the first five years we asked for truthfulness in self-presentation and straight-forward dialogue. 2014 we evaluated and decided to turn it into our default setting. Not surprisingly, lots of people found it quite challenging to rigorously "cut the crap". Everyone is used to self-branding online, it is the done thing. The vicious circle can only be stopped if everyone within a community is committed. We are.
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Beauty and intellect, health and wealth - they do not make a family great.
Sincerity, respect and affection are the pillars that make a family stand firm in all weathers.
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We've just published the first story "What handicap?"
Our goal is to demonstrate what family partnerships can achieve. They have the power to turn challenges into personal victories and to find solutions where nobody would have looked for them.

93% in Germany, 92% in the UK, 88% in Chile, 78% in Japan, 86% in France, 96% in Sweden ... These are the percentages of children naming President Trump first when asked what they associated with "bla bla and bullshit". This was a first intermediate result looking at a total of 12.000 entries. 
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The picture most often sent in by kids is all over Facebook by now ...​

Millions of families in the UK are seriously worried about leaving the EU.
Parents who voted to remain now fear for their kids' opportunities in international education. However, this turns out to be an advantage for students in the German-speaking world. For them, there is a greater choice of language partners to practice their English than ever before!

160.000 families in Germany, Austria and Switzerland are currently in active language partnerships. English is their first and most important second language. Until June 2016 there was more demand than supply for English native speakers. The referendum has changed that. Today, German is one of the most popular languages for kids in the UK.

What's more, the new situation has kicked off a strong trend of families on both sides using the combination of language holidays and holiday child care. Among other advantages this answers the question "Why on earth would I need to learn this?" for every kid.

Global Natives co-founder Alan Ashton, responsible for the future lab,  says "Currently politics drive people apart. All the more families world wide feel the need to connect."

As Brexit drives Brits to actively connect across borders, statistics show a similar effect for the US: The 2016 election has significantly increased the number of American families in international partnerships. Nationalism may give part of the population a stronger sense of security, others feel it is suffocating their minds.
International family partnerships are a growing challenge to commercial language holiday agencies and to private language tutors because they come with minimal costs and maximum choice.

Around Xmas 2018 the Global Natives network will reach one million member families.

We need competitors. With powerful ideas.
We are a unique family network. So unique, there is no other network like it.

Which is not ideal. A shop is just a shop. It takes quite a few shops to make a mall.
We would love to see some serious competition! Of course, lots of people think that there is about a zillion family networks on the internet anyhow. And there is, but they work in different ways. Our approach is guided by trust, commitment, a love of education and a strong sense of responsibility - both for the kids we raise and for the world they will live in.

Kids are artists and scientists, entrepreneurs and philosophers, pioneers and poets.
But if they can't even try, how will they ever know? Family-partnerships should be every family's default option for new opportunities to learn languages, to discover other cultures, to truly understand other ways of thinking and living. Forget limited family budgets, make friends across borders instead! 

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Early this morning we reached the one million Global Native kids' threshold!
​The birth of triplets in Kopenhagen, Denmark, at 4 am, Oct 25 2017, marked this historic moment. A longtime member family of four became a family of seven and switched our kids' number to a seven digit figure.

The three boys will of course be honorary members for life! We congratulate the proud parents and both sisters as well as the great Global Natives community of Denmark!
​Thank you so much for making us one million.

Learn more about facts and figures at Global Natives!