A Decolonial Approach to International Education: Insights from a Cal Poly Global Program in Palermo, Sicily.

This article presents a critical intervention in the current debates about decolonizing international education. It is based on a Global Program in Palermo, Sicily, offered by Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in summer 2023. As both program creator/director and student participant in the program, the authors rely on their personal experience and insights along with expertise in coloniality and decolonial theories. The article focuses on a series of pedagogical activities led by a young group of migrants and refugees who, in the city of Palermo, have come together to form two associations designed and structured to offer new contemporary models of citizenship and belonging. These workshops offered Cal Poly students who participated in the Global Program a tangible lesson of the transformative experience of international education when the power shifts to local experts and communities.