Future Global Leaders Present at Global Virtual Roundtable Event

During the two-week IVECA Global Virtual Summer Camp, the students from six countries transformed into global citizens solving the world’s problems on a global scale. Many students expressed feeling that they could not accomplish much by themselves, but after experiencing the Summer Camp, they feel like capable individuals with the power to improve their country and the world.

IVECA hosted the Global Virtual Roundtable (GVR) Events on Friday, July 16th. During the GVRs, the Summer Camp students presented their projects in front of their instructors, expert panelists, and a live audience. Also, as an insight into the real world, the expert panelists shared their experiences working in fields that contribute to achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) such as “Clean Water and Sanitation”, “Climate Action”, and “Good Health and Well-Being.” Finally, the students participated in a discussion with the instructors and expert panelists about the future of sustainable development.

The GVR Event was the final meeting for the IVECA Summer Camp. Groups from Guatemala, Korea, Malaysia, Morocco, Papua New Guinea, Tunisia, and the United States participated in the GVRs. Throughout the two-week-long camp, students had been working together to develop their projects. For one student, the summer course “emphasized the need to be open-minded and cultivated about many topics as they all contribute to shaping a wise and creative mindset.” As a result of the synergistic process, the students developed inspiring and innovative projects that have the ability to make a difference in the world and help humanity. For example, students developed a plan to implement innovative water solutions to manage water using a technology called Smart Water Grid and integrating the Internet of Things (IoT), aiming to decrease water waste.

After receiving feedback from the instructors and their international partners throughout the course, groups were able to collaboratively develop their projects aimed at contributing to the UN SDGs. One student explained that through the Summer Camp experience, “we learned how to empathize with the problems of other countries and how to solve big problems together.” The GVRs were a celebratory event, praising the hard work and dedication of the students and honoring the contributions and guidance of the instructors to the course projects.

Learn more about our GVR event here: https://tinyurl.com/GVR-Brochure

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Guided by Experts, Students Prepare for Global Virtual Roundtables

Register now to attend the event!

The IVECA Summer Camp is halfway to completion this weekend. After starting on July 5th, students have two weeks to complete their innovative projects to present at the Global Virtual Roundtable (GVR) Event. The GVR Event will take place on Friday July 16th led by expert moderators and feature presentations by panelists who are leaders in their fields.

The GVRs will cover two topics. The Course 1 GVR topic is “Promoting Scientific and Technological Soft Power of Water” led by moderator and founder of IVECA, Dr. Eunhee Jung. The panel will feature experts such as Dr. Hesham Elnakib, Ambassador Extraordinary of Egypt, and Dr. Alex Kotsakis, fellow scientist in NASA. The Course 2 GVR topic is “Scientific and Programmatic Innovation to Tackle Climate Change and Air Pollution” led by moderators Dr. Robert Swap, Associate Division Director for Mission Planning in the Earth Sciences at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, and Dr. Mariel Friberg, NASA Postdoctoral Program Fellow. The GVR panelists include entrepreneurs, scholars, and scientists who contribute to achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs). (The complete list of panelists can be found on the event brochure.)

Student projects are being developed in collaboration with IVECA student teams from around the world and the expert IVECA Summer Camp instructors. Student team projects for Course 1 will explore scientific and technological soft powers of their own nations. Projects will focus on solutions to water scarcity and quality in their own country that can be applied throughout the world. In Course 2, students will be addressing problems in the air quality of their nations and suggesting solutions for air quality issues and climate change in their countries that help to achieve the UN SDGs. (Read more about the themes of the IVECA Global Virtual Roundtables in the concept note of our brochure.)

IVECA’s Spring Semester Celebrated Global Connections

The IVECA Spring Semester 2021 concluded with Live Classes from elementary and secondary schools in five different countries. Teachers and students from across the world joined together to celebrate their hard work, projects, and cultures in a virtual meeting. Those Live Classes marked the accomplishments achieved through combined efforts of the partner schools. Teachers led the combined classes collaboratively and confidently, while students presented their projects with passion and pride. Finally, the schools expressed their sentiments of the meaningful experiences shared throughout the semester.

12 student teams from high schools in Argentina and in Korea participated in a Climate Crisis Speech Contest. Teams from each school competed with each other to deliver the most inspiring speech to their partner school. After conducting research of real-life climate crises in their countries, students reflected on how government policies and private enterprise affect climate change. Although students found many differences between their countries’ environments, they all felt inspired to speak out to protect natural resources and prevent further environmental damage, aspiring to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Furthering the UN SDG agenda, high school students from Guatemala, China, Korea, and the United States dealt with topics related to recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. Students from each country examined the impact of the pandemic on their communities, focusing on which areas need improvement. Students and teachers both expressed their accomplishments through completing the course, emphasizing how much they had learned about their own communities during the process. Students felt joined together as a global community sharing a common goal.

Also, because of COVID, travel has been restricted between many countries. To address this distance between countries, elementary and middle school students from Korea and Argentina gave each other virtual tours of their countries and cultures. Students from both schools shared the importance of their local architecture and famous cuisine. With this project, students were able to reflect on the similarities and differences between their countries and have insight into the lives of their partners from across the world.

One student shared during her semester reflection, “This exchange has taught me that the world has no limits. What I mean is that my perspective has grown and now I know that sharing with others around the world is a privilege.” The IVECA Live Class brings students together in a meaningful way, to learn about each other, and in the process reflect about themselves, their culture, and their own communities.

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