Bringing international mindedness to the PYP Exhibition

2023 marked the rebirth of the Primary Years Program (PYP) Exhibition at the Canadian International School of Beijing (CIS).  

After three years of Covid restrictions, the grade 5 students were able to host an exhibition on campus that could be shared with parents, community members and other schools. And did CIS ever run with this opportunity! 

Rafael Oscar Espinal Trejo was the new PYP coordinator last year, transitioning from a fifth- grade classroom position to his role mid-year. He shares this position with a colleague, Penny Liu, who coordinates the PYP for Pre-kindergarten, Kindergarten and grade 1.  

“Because the exhibition had been restricted for three years, it felt like a new beginning for the kids, and like it was something completely new,” says Rafael. “Scott and the Inspire Citizens team helped us so much with guiding the students towards meaningful action. We developed a strategic plan for this and built a beautiful atmosphere through the whole process.”  

Students began their PYP Exhibition journey by exploring what happens when passion and action come together, and the level of awareness and care that result. “Care” and “aware” are two of four vital aspects of the Inspire Citizens’ Empathy to Impact model (the other components are “able” and “impact”).  

“Students chose topics that really connected to a sense of empathy,” adds Rafael. “We had a lot of artistic responses like paintings, sculptures and 3D models for the exhibition; one about ocean pollution showed three different levels of the ocean and how trash can impact each of those.”  

Rafael wanted the PYP Exhibition experience to be rooted in international-mindedness, and the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals provided an excellent starting point for students to research and learn about key global issues that relate to the local community.  

“They connected issues with what they really liked - their interests - and their own sense of self-identity,” explains Rafael. “We need to fit the SDGs into strategic places in the curriculum so we can slowly expose students to what action looks like and what local actions have a global impact.”  

About 75 fifth graders across four classes participated in the PYP Exhibition in May of 2023, and Rafael is excited about continuing work with Inspire Citizens this year around curriculum design and implementation.  

“Our motto is ‘Together is Better’ and our vision is to ‘Develop Learners into Passionate Leaders’ so this approach totally aligns with personal passion and actions for impact,” says Rafael.