World Affairs Challenge
The World Affairs Challenge is an academic program that challenges Middle and High School students to think about their relationship to the rest of the world, while taking part in a fun, day-long tournament. Sponsored by the Center for Teaching International Relations, the tournament builds teamwork, leadership, research, critical thinking, public speaking and problem solving skills, while strengthening students’ understanding of global affairs.
Students who participate in the Challenge are largely from the Denver area, though teams from Bayfield, Pueblo, Steamboat Springs, Colorado Springs, and other rural school districts also attend. To accommodate the program’s consistent growth, CTIR in recent years has hosted two tournaments—one for Middle School and one for High School. This year, CTIR expects the combined attendance at both tournaments to be about 500 students.
As part of the tournament, students research and prepare a creative presentation on a global issue or challenge, including their recommendations for addressing the challenge. On tournament day, students give their presentation before a panel of judges comprised of community members and leaders. Presentations often take the form of skits, talk shows, mock news broadcasts, or other formats in which students use music, costumes, and art to explain their chosen issue and its importance. This year, students will focus their presentations on concrete challenges that fall under the main theme:
Global Leadership: Beyond the Millennium Development Goals
This theme allows for a wide range of topics to be researched and presented on by students.
Prior to the tournament day, students also take a quiz on global events and geography, and participate in a problem-solving simulation, based on a real-world crisis, with students from other schools. This year’s simulation is being developed.
The World Affairs Challenge especially seeks to engage students from under-served schools in learning about global affairs. Over 1/3 of registered teams past events came from the national AVID program, designed to assist students from low-income and minority families prepare for and attend college. CTIR has secured a grant from the Janus Foundation to cover the cost of registration and additional support for AVID teams, as well as teams from schools with a large percentage of students eligible for free and reduced lunch, to encourage their participation.
Check out these examples from years past of a Formal Presentation and a Collaborative Question in progress!
