AAS Global Citizenship Inclusion Program serves two main purposes: - Establish AAS as an institution which serves students with a wider range of educational needs. - Help students of different nationalities, cultures, religions and languages feel heard and understood.

The primary target group of the project is the AAS community (students, teachers and parents). As an institution, driven by a high sense of corporate social responsibility, AAS aims to set an example and inspire other schools in the region to revolutionize their academic curricula and introduce global citizenship in the classroom.

The project is closely related to one of the core corporate values of AAS - the value of respect. Initiated in the beginning of September 2022, the Global Citizenship Inclusion Program has quickly evolved and ranks among the top school priorities. Since we believe that becoming a global citizen is a long and complex process, we haven’t set an ending date for the project. We consider our mission to build a network of young and proactive global citizens which expands beyond the AAS Community.

Goal 1: - Building a Student Support Services team, comprising of experienced counselors & school psychologists - In March 2022, a group of AAS counselors (members of the Student Support Services Team) founded the Bulgaria Chapter of SENIA - In December 2022, we hosted a discussion on Autism, featuring Dr. Stephen Shore, an autistic professor of special education at Adelphi University in the US. - The team of SENIA Bulgaria established a close partnership with the Cedar Foundation, a Bulgarian NGO working in support of disadvantaged children and adults. - SENIA established a partnership with AAS parents and founded the Parent Association of Learning Support Students (PALSS). Goal 2: - Sessions on Global Citizenship were included in the staff professional development days - In May 2023, we will hold a Global Citizenship dedicated TEDxYouth event on the topic of ‘Transformation Through Innovation’. - We have invited speakers to school assemblies to share their experience with inclusion (Trust for Social Achievement, Stanimira Chocolate House) - We joined the UNESCO Global Citizenship initiative https://mgiep.unesco.org/global-citizenship .

Even though the Global Citizenship Education Program is in its initial stages, our efforts are already paying off. AAS is the first academic institution in Bulgaria which aims at offering services to students within a wide spectrum of educational abilities and needs. We’re an unprecedented pioneer in offering education without borders. Families from all around the world choose AAS because they recognize our community as a safe space. A space where everyone is encouraged to be their authentic selves. A space where the differences are not stigmatized but are actually cherished.