Interact with Global Leaders
At the Global Youth Institute, student delegates present papers they have researched and written on a critical aspect of food security, and discuss their findings with international experts and their peers in roundtable discussions. Each discussion group of seven to nine students is led by three distinguished global leaders in science, industry and policy. Student papers are subsequently published in the Youth Institute Proceedings and are available online.
Connect with Student Leaders from Around the World
Delegates have a unique opportunity to connect with other student leaders from across the United States and around the world to discuss global challenges, share ideas, and identify solutions to these problems and build lasting friendships. In 2008, 115 students from 15 U.S. states – as well as Mexico, Nigeria, Russia and Tanzania – participated in the Global Youth Institute.
Tour Innovative Industrial and Research Facilities
Each year, student delegates at the Global Youth Institute participate in tours of cutting-edge industrial and research facilities addressing issues related to food and water security, nutrition, global agriculture and health. In recent years, students have toured Syngenta Seed, Pioneer Hi-Bred, Monsanto, Blank Children’s Hospital, Lincolnway Energy Cooperative, the Des Moines Water Works and Treatment facilities, and Des Moines University’s Global Health Program.
Get Involved with Hands-On Projects
Students also have the opportunity to participate in guided team projects designed to develop community-based issue identification and problem solving. In 2009, student delegates will participate in a training program for Kids Against Hunger, package food aid for vulnerable and food-insecure populations in Haiti, and develop community-action checklists in small groups.
Attend the Symposium and Award Ceremony
Throughout the three-day program, student and teacher delegates participate in the Borlaug Dialogue, a “davos-style” dialogue which brings together over 500 international experts and policy leaders from 65 countries to address cutting-edge challenges in food security and international development.
Delegates to the Global Youth Institute also attend the World Food Prize Laureate Award Ceremony in the historic Iowa State Capitol, as the “Nobel Prize for Food and Agriculture” is awarded in recognition of individuals who have advanced human development by improving the quality, quantity or availability of food in the world.
Travel Abroad and Start Making a Difference
By participating in the Global Youth Institute held in Iowa, students are eligible to apply for a prestigious Borlaug-Ruan International Internship, an all-expenses-paid, eight-week hands-on experience, working with world-renowned scientists and policymakers at leading research centers in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East.
Since 1994, over 100 Borlaug-Ruan Interns have traveled to Bangladesh, Brazil, China, Costa Rica, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, Kenya, Peru, Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand and Trinidad to get a firsthand view of pressing food security and nutritional problems in poverty-stricken areas and take part in ground-breaking research.
