Introducing GCC Voices: Global Citizens Circle's New Blog

Theo Spanos Dunfey, center left, with members of the Sisulu and Dunfey families in 1998 in South Africa, including (l to r) Linda Sisulu, South African activisits Albertina and Walter Sisulu, and Sheila Sisulu.

Global Citizens Circle President and Executive Director with GCC then Board Chair Tito Jackson

By Theo Spanos Dunfey

​Forty years ago, a year after I graduated from college, I met the Dunfeys, a remarkable family that I came to know and love for their generosity, their hospitality, their arms wide open hugs, and their commitment to family in the very broadest sense of the word. 

While I did join the immediate family by marrying the son of one of the founders, I also joined the Global Citizens Circle (GCC) family, which was as nurturing, as boisterous and as full of opinions as its large Irish-American family founders. Having grown up in New Hampshire in a family with Greek immigrant origins, I was drawn to learning about the world, partly because of my Greek heritage, but also because of the insular environment of the small mill-town that limited my exposure to people different than myself.  

Studying global affairs was my answer to learning about the world, but becoming a part of the GCC family was the entry to a deeper and more profound understanding of the people of the world and the real challenges propelling them to take action for positive change. The Circle has always had as its mission to bring together diverse, intergenerational, and cross-sectoral groups to discuss the issues of the day openly and honestly with an ultimate goal of finding the common ground that is necessary for making change.  

The Circle’s past 50 years have been a testament to the kinds of actions for change Circle discussion leaders implored us to take. Peace in Northern Ireland, democracy in South Africa, understanding in the Middle East, and racial justice in the U.S. are some of the areas that GCC brought to the attention of concerned citizens and then connected them to others who could help lead movements for change.  

Today, there are no fewer problems to address, and, in fact, we still grapple with many of those that served as a catalyst for the founding of the Circle. 

War still abounds, racial tensions continue to erupt, democracy still demands our attention and listening across differences has become far more challenging. Add to that the growing mental health crisis affecting young people around the globe, a climate on the brink of irreparably changing for the worse, and the unknown impacts of artificial intelligence on every facet of our lives – and we see the absolute need for continued dialogue that brings people together, that challenges all of us to listen to diverse points of view, and that also nurtures a new generation of changemakers.

Our new blog – GCC Voices – is another means for opening up conversation and learning from one another. We’ll have regular blog posts from around the world, coming from those who are a part of the GCC family. Our hope is that in sharing stories from thinkers and doers globally, we will better recognize our shared humanity and our need to work together.  
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​Join me in celebrating the stories of impact that will populate this new GCC blog. Be sure to check back each Monday, as we share voices from throughout our global community. 


Theo Spanos Dunfey is president and executive director of Global Citizens Circle. She has over 30 years of global experience in non-profits, higher education, and international affairs. Dunfey is a graduate of the Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy at Tufts University, where she earned a Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy, concentrating on American diplomatic history, international communication, and international development. It was during her studies at the Fletcher School that she first began volunteering with Global Citizens Circle’s Boston programs. She also earned a bachelor’s in international relations and French at Brown University. With a primary focus on global issues, Dunfey taught international development at the University of New England, led student groups on global citizenship service-learning trips abroad, directed the World Affairs Council of Maine, and produced numerous global editorial conferences for The WorldPaper before taking the helm at Global Citizens Circle. 

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