Do you think it is important to work together with your family, people in your community, or other students in your class? Do you think you can get more done when you cooperate with others in this way? How do you think this would look on a global scale? In this activity, you will learn about internationalism.

In previous themes, you learned that nationalism is a feeling that people have of being loyal to and proud of their country. You also learned about ultranationalism, where there is extreme nationalism and loyalty to one country that promotes the interest of that one nation or people above all others. So what do you think internationalism means?

You already know that the term nation means a large group of people living in one area, such as Canada. Now let's take a look at the word "inter." This is a prefix that can mean many things, including: between, among, mutually, and together. The last part of the word, "ism," simply means a system of beliefs.

So now that you've thought about these three terms, what does the term internationalism mean? Internationalism means the belief of being international, or happening in and between many countries. More simply put, internationalism is the belief that it is good for different countries to work together.

While there are about 196 different countries in the world, there is only one planet. We all share this planet. Canada is a country, but it is also a member of the greater global community, as you already learned. As a country, we not only have a responsibility to care for and protect our own land and its citizens but also to care for and protect the land and citizens around the globe as well. For instance, protecting the environment is an issue that involves all citizens of the world.

Self-check!

Digging Deeper!