Programs for Students
The World Affairs Council - Washington, DC offers a variety of programs for students throughout the school year. These programs include Youth Forums, the Young Journalist Program, the Young Ambassadors Program, and Academic WorldQuest. These programs give students in the Washington, DC area the opportunity to develop leadership and teamwork skills, travel and study abroad, gain knowledge of international affairs and important global issues, and meet a variety of influential leaders, experts, and newsmakers.
Young Journalist Program
Despite the fact that the public at large is becoming increasingly disaffected and suspicious of the media, most of us rely on newspapers and magazines, television, or the Internet to inform and educate us about the world. But what does it take to be a good journalist and how do we become educated consumers of news?
In Fall 2004, the World Affairs Council launched the Young Journalist program. This program offers high school students exclusive access to U.S. policymakers, corporate leaders, academics, writers and foreign diplomats for in-depth interviews.
The program is designed to introduce high school students to international affairs professionals and teach them to think critically about current events and history, while reporting about them to their peers through school newspapers.
The Young Journalist program will also reach beyond international affairs. Good journalism requires strong research skills and the ability ask challenging questions and convey ideas through words - critical skills for today’s young people as they head toward college. In order to participate in the Young Journalist Program, schools/students must:
- Have a teacher/advisor who will attend each interview with the student(s)
- Submit sample questions in advance
- Ensure that the interview will be published in the school newspaper or other publication
- Provide the World Affairs Council of Washington, DC with a copy of the published interview
Youth Forum Series
Youth Forums focus on a specific regional of international policy issue and give students a unique opportunity to put themselves in the position of policymakers. Each all-day Forum, which is partnered with the World Bank, is attended by over 200 area high school students and their teachers, and explores one of today’s crucial topics
Fall 2009
On December 4, 2009, the World Affairs Council held a Youth Leadership Forum on Climate Change for high school students and their teachers at the World Bank headquarters. The program entitled “A Youth Forum on Climate Change; Understanding the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change”, explored the issues facing different nations during the Copenhagen meetings in December. Guest speakers included Ambassador Friis Arne Petersen from Denmark, Angelica Silvero, Head of the World Bank Visitors Program, and Nicholas Sundt, Director of Communications for the Climate Change Program at the World Wildlife Fund. Students participated in a simulation to create a conference resolution while examining the pressures confronting nations and policymakers in this ongoing dialogue on climate change.
Winter 2009
On January 30, 2009 the World Affairs Council - DC held a Youth Leadership Forum on the Global Water Crisis for high school students and their teachers at the World Bank here in Washington, DC. The objective for the day was to explore the problems of water shortage and sanitation facing all parts of the world and the challenges of providing sufficient amounts of safe, clean water to the global population. The day-long program included expert speakers including Janeen Heath, Communication and Production Specialist for the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting, Dr. Peter Kolsky, a Senior Water and Sanitation Specialist in the Energy, Transport and Water Department of the World Bank, and Lauren J. Krizner, from the US Department of State.
Winter 2008
The World Affairs Council of Washington DC in cooperation with the World Bank and Bell Multicultural High School hosted a Youth Leadership Forum on Human Rights and the Crisis in Darfur at the World Bank on January 11, 2008. This day-long event consisted of presentations by expert speakers such as Kenneth Bacon and Melanie Teff from Refugees International, Dr. Peter Bechtold, Colin Thomas-Jensen from ENOUGH, Justin Zorn from Banaa. The event also included question and answer sessions, a simulation to illustrate the difficulties of international cooperation, the complexity of international law and the Darfur region and a resource fair for students. As well, there was a showcasing of an educational presentation put together by the students of Bell Multicultural High School about the ongoing situation in Darfur and potential solutions to alleviate the situation. This presentation by Bell Multicultural High School was later entered into a contest hosted by thepeoplespeak.org, which seeks to engage students in world affairs.
Fall 2007
On October 30, 2007, the World Affairs Council - Washington DC and The World Bank hosted a Youth Leadership Forum on Global Poverty. This event sought to explore the problems facing impoverished areas around the world and the challenges of reversing current trends. The program consisted of presentations by expert speakers such as Walter D. Woods from the World Bank’s Community Outreach program, Kyeh Kim from the Millennium Challenge Corporation, Seema Jalan from Women’s Edge, Patrick McCormick from Village Banking, David Roodman from Center for Global Development, Jody Olsen from Peace Corps, Paul Mathis from NetAid, Elise Young from Bread for the World, and Lauren Prince who was the 2006-2007 Global Action Award Honoree. This event also featured a question and answer sessions, a group discussion, and a village development simulation exercise in order to teach students about impoverished areas and what goes into development projects.
Upcoming Forums
Upcoming Youth Forums for Fall 2008 include:
- China’s Rise and the World
- Global Poverty
Young Ambassadors
Each year the World Affairs Council - Washington, DC awards a small number of scholarships to outstanding DC high school students. While these trips touch a small group of students, they leave a lasting mark and widen horizons of these young people forever.
Speakers for Schools
If you are interested in having a guest speaker on a international issues related to classroom studies, the World Affairs Council - Washington, D.C. would be happy to assist you in finding a speaker. Please contact Amanda Stamp, Education Director or call (202) 293-1051 with the topic, school, and contact information.
Academic WorldQuest
Academic WorldQuest is a Flagship Program of the World Affairs Council system. The game was developed by the Charlotte Council and is now widely played at the adult and high school levels around the country. It is a team game testing competitors' knowledge of international affairs, geography, history, and culture. By winning the World Affairs Council of Washington, DC competition, the winning team qualifies to compete in the World Affairs Councils of America’s national competition in Washington, DC. The World Affairs Councils of America started the national competition in Washington, DC in March 2003.
The game is a contest between 4-person teams representing a high school or city. It is moderated by a prominent person in the field of international affairs or journalism. Teams compete by answering rounds of questions projected by PowerPoint onto a screen. The questions test their knowledge of current affairs, world leaders, geography, recent history, flags, international organizations, countries, regions, the world economy, culture, religion, and more. A full competition is 100 questions, 10 rounds of 10 questions per round. The winning team is the team with the highest number of correct answers.
