On March 6 and 7, 2015, nearly 200 middle and high school students from 20 schools from 4 states participated in the inaugural Washington State Global Issues Network Conference. The aim of the conference was to bring youth together to share ideas for taking action on critical global issues. See the conference website for the list of the 20 global issues. Student teams who attend the conference presented workshop sessions about action projects that they have carried out. Each team created a 1-2 minute trailer for their workshop, which was shown as part of a film festival throughout the weekend. (You can view them from the website workshop pages, including Workshop Session 1, Workshop Session 2, Workshop Session 3, and Workshop Session 4.) Conference participants also heard from seven dynamic keynote speakers including Chris Jordan, Amy Benson, John Delaney, and Cristina Orbe.
On Friday, March 6, students visited a Global Action Fair with 25 nonprofit organizations and government agencies who carry out work related to the 20 global issues. One of the tables included twenty elementary students from Beacon Hill International School who shared information about their exciting garden project. Throughout the weekend, students met in “Global Villages,” groups of 10 students, all from different schools, who engaged in youth-facilitated discussions. The conference concluded with a high-energy drum circle facilitated by Maketa Wilborn. See this West Seattle Blog article for more details.
Congratulations to Chief Sealth International High School for hosting the 1st Annual Washington Global Issues Network Conference!