Iowa Youth Institute

What is the Iowa Youth Institute?

The Iowa Youth Institute is a life-changing experience at Iowa State University where high school students engage with leading experts on critical global challenges, participate in hands-on activities, and explore exciting ways to make a difference in Iowa and around the world.

2021 Updates

The 2021 Iowa Youth Institute will be held virtually on Monday, April 26th, 2021. The registration deadline has been extended to Friday, April 2nd.

Are you interested in volunteer opportunities with the Iowa Youth Institute? We are looking for passionate professionals to serve as Roundtable Experts during our virtual event! Sign up HERE by Monday, April 5th.

Looking for additional ways to start the conversation in your classroom? Check out the 2020 Iowa Hunger Summit Resource Guide. Learn from local and national experts who are tackling tough issues both at home and abroad!

Why Participate

At this exciting event, participating high school students will have the following opportunities:

Scholarship – students that complete the paper and attend the day-long event automatically receive a $500 scholarship to Iowa State University in any of the career paths listed below.

Hands on Experience – Participate, with your teachers, in interactive activities on Iowa State University’s campus to explore research and work currently taking place in Iowa to address global challenges.

Global Youth Institute – If you are one of the top students at IYI, you have the opportunity to advance to the Global Youth Institute. This once in a lifetime experience allows you to interact with peers, like you, from across the nation. All Iowa students selected to participate also receive an additional $2,000 scholarship to Iowa State University!

Paid Fellowships with USDA– Students that complete the program are eligible to apply for a United States Department of Agriculture Wallace Carver Fellowship through the USDA working in research facilities across the United States.

International Internships - Students that are selected to move on to the Global Youth Institute are also eligible to apply for an internship with the World Food Prize Borlaug-Ruan International Internship program, which is an 8-week experience working with world-renowned scientists and policymakers at leading research centers around the globe. All students accepted to the program also receive an additional $3,000 scholarship to Iowa State University.

STEM Approved - The Iowa Youth Institute was recently awarded the Governor’s STEM Council Seal of Approval, an endorsement that recognizes and supports Iowa education programs that both encourage interest and celebrate student achievements in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

How to Participate

Immediately contact the World Food Prize at i owayouth@worldfoodprize.org to express your interest.
Student/s will then select a topic related to global food security and research the impact on a specified country, using the outlined paper instructions (click on the link in the right-hand sidebar).
Submit the student’s paper using the link in the right-hand sidebar*
Submit the student's registration using the link in the right-hand sidebar*
Submit the teacher mentor's information in the right-hand sidebar*

*Registration opens Wednesday, February 10th, 2021. The deadline to submit your paper and registration has been extended to Friday, April 2nd.

The Iowa Youth Institute will be held virtually on Monday, April 26th.

FAQ

Who is eligible? Students in grades 8th to 12th grade are eligible to attend the IYI.

Is there a cost to attend? When in-person, lunch and program expenses at the Iowa Youth Institute are covered by the World Food Prize Foundation and Iowa State University for participating student delegates and their teacher mentors.

Is there transportation available? When in-person, student and teacher participants are responsible for their own transportation to and from the event at Iowa State University.

Contact

For more information contact Kelsey Tyrrell, Director of Youth Leadership Development, at iowayouth@worldfoodprize.org.

Who has attended the Iowa Youth Institute?

As of 2020, 71% of high schools across Iowa have actively participated in the day-long event. At the 2020 Virtual Iowa Youth Institute, over 250 students from 1/3 of Iowa high schools attended and shared their most innovative ideas for solving our world's biggest challenges in food security. Below is a map of all of the schools that have participated in the past 8 years.

History

Since 1994, over 2,000 Iowa high school students and 400 teachers from across the state have participated in the Global Youth Institute.

In addition, more than 200 Iowa high school students have traveled to Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Middle East through the Borlaug-Ruan International Internship program to work alongside renowned scientists at leading research centers.