The Everyday Global Citizen Podcast

In this episode of The Everyday Global Citizen Podcast, I explore how children develop a sense of belonging and why belonging is such an important foundation for openness, empathy, and inclusion. Through personal reflections and practical examples, this episode looks at the everyday signals children receive about whether they are accepted, seen, and allowed to be themselves. I also share simple ways parents and caregivers can strengthen a child’s sense of belonging through curiosity, recognition, and small consistent moments. A gentle episode for anyone raising children in a diverse and complex world.   To download my free PDF-guide for parents and caregivers I talk about in the episode, click [here]📩 To sign up for my monthly newsletter, click [here]📩

In this episode of The Everyday Global Citizen Podcast, I explore what it actually means to raise a global citizen. Moving beyond common misconceptions, I reflect on why global citizenship begins with identity, and how children develop respect and responsibility through everyday experiences at home. This is a calm, grounded conversation for parents who want to raise children who can navigate a diverse and interconnected world with confidence, curiosity, and care.   Click 👉🏽[here][ to sign up for my newsletter and👉🏽 [here] to download your free pdf-guide about raising children as global citizens. 

In this episode of The Everyday Global Citizen Podcast, I explore belonging and identity through my lived experience of growing up cross-cultural in Norway. What does it mean to feel at home in a place — and what happens when that belonging is subtly questioned? I then connect identity and belonging to global citizenship — not as an abstract ideal, but as a practice of widening the circle of who counts as “us.”   If you’ve ever reflected on where you belong, how your identity has evolved, or what it means to live as a global citizen, this episode is for you.   If you are cross-cultural yourself and navigating multiple cultural worlds, I’ve created a free PDF guide with my five best tips to help you bridge your different cultural identities into a more integrated sense of self. 👉🏽[Click here to get the guide]

What does global citizenship look like when it’s not loud, performative, or abstract — but lived quietly, in everyday life? In this opening episode of a new ten-part master series, I reflect on what happens when global events interrupt the ordinary and begin to feel personal. Drawing on lived experience, professional practice, and a guided reflection, this episode explores global citizenship not as an identity, but as an ongoing practice of attention, care, and responsibility. This is an invitation to slow down, stay with discomfort, and reflect on where — and how — we are being asked to care, even when it isn’t easy. Please consider following my podcast :)   

In this final episode of the year, I explore what it truly means to be a global citizen — and why it has nothing to do with titles, activism, or having the “right” words. Global citizenship is built through everyday choices: challenging stereotypes, showing up for others and raising compassionate children. This reflective episode invites you to pause, look back on your year, and reconnect with the values that shape our shared humanity. A warm and grounding way to end the year — and to step into the next one with intention.   I’d love to stay in touch! Feel free to join my newsletter [here]💌, or find me on Pinterest [here]🌐.

In this episode, I explore gratitude through the lens of global citizenship — not the Instagram version, but the deeper kind that connects us to privilege, justice, and community. I share how gratitude can become a grounding practice that expands responsibility and inspires action. A reflective episode for anyone wanting to live with more intention and awareness.I’d love to stay in touch! Feel free to join my newsletter [here]💌, or find me on Pinterest [here]🌐. 

In this episode, I explore how gatekeeping shows up in everyday life - from workplaces and friendships to public debates and even fandoms. I share some of my own experiences as a Norwegian-Palestinian navigating whose voices are seen as “credible,” and reflect on how global citizenship invites us to widen the circle instead of shrinking it.   Want more?  Click [here for my website] or click [here for my Pinterest account]! 

How do we raise children who care about people, the planet, and justice? In this episode, I share simple, powerful ways to nurture empathy, celebrate diversity, and talk about fairness with kids - plus a bonus tip and two free guides for parents and educators. Click here to get your free Norwegian PDF guide on teaching children the value of cultural diversity.  Click here to get your free English PDF guide on how to raise compassionate, globally minded kids. 

Belonging isn’t just about where we’re from -  it’s about who makes room for us there. In this episode, I reflect on what it means to belong as someone born and raised in Norway to Palestinian parents, and why a simple question - “Where are you really from?” - can carry more weight than it seems. I explore how global citizenship invites us to widen our definition of belonging, to make space for multiple identities, and to practice inclusion in our everyday lives.   Reference used in this episode: Salole, L. (2018). Identitet og tilhørighet. Om ressurser og dilemmaer i en krysskulturell oppvekst. (2.utg.) Gyldendal Akademisk. [In Norwegian].    Sign up for my monthly newsletter at the bottom of this page: [Press here].

We often think of global citizenship as something that happens “out there” — through travel, activism, or international work. But the truth is, it starts right where we are: at home. In this episode, I reflect on how our everyday conversations, habits, and silences shape the way we see the world and one another. I explore why small acts — listening, questioning, unlearning — are the important for global citizenship, and how the values we practice at home ripple outward into our communities and beyond.   Transcript:  Welcome back to The Everyday Global Citizen Podcast. I’m your host, Nawar Sayyad, and today we’re going to talk about something that might surprise you: global citizenship isn’t just about the world out there. It actually starts right where you are — at home. We often imagine global citizenship as something tied to travel, activism, or international work. And yes, those are important. But our homes, our families, and our local communities are the places where our values are first shaped — where we learn what it means to care, to question, and to coexist. It’s within these everyday spaces that we first encounter difference — sometimes in the form of disagreement, sometimes through curiosity, and sometimes through silence. Our kitchen tables, our conversations, and our habits quietly teach us how to think about the world, and about one another. But when those conversations are missing — when children grow up without hearing adults talk about fairness, empathy, or difference — it becomes harder to build that awareness later in life. Without guidance, we risk inheriting silence, or worse, indifference. That’s why these small, everyday discussions matter so much. They plant the early seeds of global thinking — of understanding that our actions, even the small ones, ripple outward and affect others. And the good news is, it’s never too late to start. Whether you’re a parent, a teacher, a friend, or simply someone sharing a household, you can create space for these conversations now. Every time we invite reflection, we make it easier for empathy and understanding to take root. So, ask yourself: How do I talk about other cultures at the dinner table? How do I respond to news stories about injustice? What assumptions or attitudes am I passing on to my children, my friends, or my colleagues? Because the truth is, global citizenship isn’t an abstract idea. It’s a practice. It shows up in the tone we use, the curiosity we model, and the compassion we extend — even when no one’s watching. One of the most powerful things you can do is to cultivate a home environment where diversity isn’t just tolerated, but celebrated. Where questions are welcomed. Where learning is ongoing.  Start small: Cook meals from different cultures and learn their history. Explore books, films, and music from around the world — and talk about what they reveal. Reflect together on fairness, privilege, and perspective. And maybe most importantly, make space for unlearning. Unlearning is uncomfortable, but it’s essential. It’s about noticing when stereotypes slip into conversation, or when we shy away from difficult topics because they make us uneasy. That discomfort? It’s part of growth. Sometimes, the hardest part of becoming a global citizen is not what we learn about others — it’s what we discover about ourselves. I’ve often said that global citizenship begins in the smallest of gestures: the patience we show in a disagreement, the empathy we practice when listening to someone whose views challenge our own, the choice to speak up — or to give someone else the space to be heard. Or giving up your seat at the tube as I shared with you last week.  When we build those habits at home, they ripple outward. The conversations we have around our tables shape the way we show up in our workplaces, our communities, and eventually, the wider world. So yes — global citizenship can look like international solidarity and global movements. But it also looks like the quiet work of nurturing kindness, respect, and justice in the spaces closest to us. Because if our homes reflect the values of equality and curiosity, then our societies stand a better chance of doing the same. Thank you so much for listening, and for being part of this journey. I’m deeply grateful to all of you who share the podcast, and to those who take the time to write to me — telling me how these reflections connect with your own lives and experiences. Your messages remind me that these conversations matter. So this week, I invite you to look inward. Notice the small choices — the words you use, the stories you share, the ways you respond to difference. That’s where global citizenship begins: not somewhere far away, but right here, in our everyday lives. Until next time, take care — and keep practicing the small actions that make our shared world a little more connected, and a little more compassionate.  

In this episode, I share a story from the London Tube that highlights small, everyday choices that show care and solidarity. A simple act, like offering a seat to someone in need, can reveal whether we’re contributing to a culture of compassion or a culture of indifference. Join me as I reflect on how global citizenship is lived in the ordinary moments of daily life.   Transcript:  I want to share a story from my stay here in London, where I’m spending the fall semester as part of my PhD journey at Royal Holloway University. One day, I was riding the Tube. The train was crowded, which isn’t unusual. At one stop, people began to get off, and just behind me, a woman in her late 40s or early 50s almost pushed me aside to rush toward a newly freed seat across the carriage. At the very same moment, an elderly woman stepped onto the train — clearly in need of a seat. But the younger woman, being much more mobile, got there first. The older woman sighed, quietly, almost as if she was used to this. And then came the part that truly shocked me. The woman with the seat looked at the elderly lady and said, “Go sit over there,” pointing to the spot she had left behind. So the older woman turned to walk in that direction, only to realize there wasn’t actually a seat available there. She stopped, turned back, clearly hoping the younger woman would notice and offer her own seat. But no. The woman simply opened her Kindle and began to read, as if nothing had happened. I must have looked visibly shocked, because another man nearby caught my eye and smiled slightly — not in a rude way, but in a way that said, “Yes, this is London. Welcome.” Fortunately, another man who had witnessed the scene stood up and offered his seat to the elderly woman — which, if you ask me, was the right thing to do. Meanwhile, the woman with the Kindle carried on, completely indifferent. Why am I sharing this story? Because it’s a perfect example of what it means not to be a global citizen. Being a global citizen is not about fancy labels or big declarations. It’s about our everyday choices. It’s about recognizing the dignity of others and acting in ways that show respect, care, and solidarity. In this situation, global citizenship would have looked like a simple act: noticing someone in greater need and giving up your seat. A small gesture, but one that carries a big message — “I see you, I value you, your wellbeing matters.” Global citizenship is not only about knowing different cultures, or traveling the world, or studying global issues. It’s about how we treat each other in ordinary moments. It’s about humility, empathy, and responsibility. And here’s the important thing: it doesn’t have to be dramatic. Being a global citizen often comes down to small actions — the ones that make the world a little better, step by step. Offering a seat. Listening with curiosity instead of judgment. Speaking up when someone is silenced. Sharing space, resources, or opportunities. These are everyday acts. But they add up. And when we choose not to act — when we stay silent, look away, or convince ourselves it’s “not our problem” — we also make a choice. We reinforce the idea that convenience is more important than compassion. That comfort matters more than justice. Global citizenship asks us to resist that pull. It challenges us to see that every moment is an opportunity to either contribute to a culture of care, or to a culture of indifference. So maybe the work begins right where we are — on the train, in the office, at the supermarket, in our daily encounters. Being a global citizen doesn’t require grand gestures; it requires small, steady commitments to live as if the wellbeing of others is tied to our own. Because it is. And if more of us practiced this, even in the simplest ways, step by step we’d find ourselves in a world that feels not only more connected, but also more humane. Thank you for joining me for this reflection. And thank you for listening, for sharing this podcast, and for those of you who take the time to write to me about how these episodes connect with your own experiences — I truly appreciate it. As you move through your week, I encourage you to notice the small opportunities to practice empathy and care. They may seem minor in the moment, but they shape the kind of world we are building together. Until next time, take good care — and keep choosing actions that make our shared world a little more humane.

In this episode, I break down the key differences between cultural competence and cultural humility — two concepts that often get confused but come from very different mindsets. While cultural competence focuses on acquiring knowledge, cultural humility asks us to lead with curiosity, question our assumptions, and embrace the ongoing process of learning and unlearning. I draw from real-world examples and my experience as a child welfare professional and university lecturer to illustrate why humility — not mastery — is what builds meaningful, respectful relationships.   Follow me on social media HERE.  Click HERE for a transcript of the episode. 

In this episode, I reflect on the heartbreaking murder of a Muslim woman of color in Norway — a child welfare worker whose death appears racially motivated. I explore how true allyship demands more than statements — it requires action, discomfort, and accountability. Allyship is not an identity — it’s a verb. In this deeply personal and powerful episode, you’ll learn what real allyship looks like, how to show up when it matters most, and why centering those most affected must remain at the heart of our practice. 📲 Follow me at Instagram for more. For transcription, click HERE.   

While on vacation in Bali,I witnessed a group of tourists behaving with total disrespect toward hotel staff and the local environment — and it sparked today’s episode. In this reflection, I explore what it can mean to travel as a global citizen, why cultural humility matters when we’re guests in another country, and how we can respond when we see disrespect in action. I share five simple, but powerful ways to practice cultural humility while traveling — and why speaking up, even on holiday, is part of our global responsibility.   Download my free PDF guide “Travel with Cultural Humility” - and get bonus insights I’m not sharing in the podcast!

In this episode, host Nawar Sayyad unpacks the true meaning of global citizenship — not as a passport or travel log, but as a way of thinking, relating, and acting in a diverse world. Drawing from her experience as a Norwegian-Palestinian Muslim, Nawar explores what shape the global citizen mindset — and invites you to reflect on your own journey.   Download here for transcript.  Want more? Follow me on Pinterest and Instagram. 

In this debut episode, the host, Nawar Sayyad,  shares her personal story of growing up between cultures, and how her own experiences as a Norwegian-Palestinian Muslim in Norway shaped her passion for global citizenship. This episode sets the tone for the series and invites listeners into a space of empathy, reflection, and connection.   Click here for the transcript.   Want more of this content? Follow me on Pinterest here!