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Inspiring the Next Generation of Young Scientific and Humanitarian Leaders to End Hunger
- 160 students from 24 states and 7 countries selected to present their solutions on critical aspects of food security to experts and global leaders.
- National leaders and CEOs to announce major investments in youth leadership programs and opportunities.
- STEM Food and Ag Committee promotes the World Food Prize Global Youth Institute as the national model for STEM education.
Des Moines, Iowa, October 9th, 2014 -- The World Food Prize will host 160 extraordinary high school students from 24 US states and territories, as well as Canada, China, Egypt, Mexico, Morocco, and Nigeria as delegates at the 20th Anniversary Global Youth Institute, Oct. 16-18, in Des Moines, Iowa. The students will interact with World Food Prize Laureates and the more than 1,200 global leaders and experts from over 65 countries attending the World Food Prize's annual Borlaug Dialogue international symposium.
The Global Youth Institute was started by Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Dr. Norman Borlaug, and is known as one of the most unique and successful youth programs in the country. Of the students who complete the program 92% go on to pursue college degrees in agriculture and science and 77% go onto careers in agriculture, STEM and other fields critical to fight against hunger. Further, it boasts a staggering two-thirds participation of young women.
Students from across the United States and abroad researched critical aspects of global food security in developing countries, and submitted their solutions and ideas in papers centered on this year’s theme, "The Greatest Challenge in Human History: Can We Sustainably Feed the 9 Billion People on our Planet by the Year 2050?”
The top students in each state and country have been invited to attend the three-day World Food Prize Global Youth Institute in October, where they interact with, present, and discuss their research findings with a diverse group of internationally renowned World Food Prize Laureates, heads of state, government leaders, dignitaries, business executives, and experts in food, agriculture and international development.
“The Global Youth Institute inspired me to pursue a career in agriculture and international development to improve the lives of small holder farmers around the world. Conversing with Laureates, experts and scientists and hearing about their journeys convinced me that I too could follow in the footsteps of Norman Borlaug to solve global food security issues.”-2011 GYI Participant, Mikayla Sullivan
In addition, students also participate in a hands-on service project packaging meals with Outreach Inc., a hunger-fighting organization that serves people in Iowa and abroad; tour cutting edge industrial and research facilities, take part in an Oxfam Hunger Banquet that demonstrates the realities of global hunger and poverty; listen to past international Borlaug-Ruan Interns present their research and experiences; attend a luncheon with this year’s laureate and a private viewing of the 2014 World Food Prize Laureate Award Ceremony honoring Dr. Sanjaya Rajaram for his scientific research that led to a prodigious increase in global wheat production, providing more nutritious food around the world and significantly alleviating world hunger.
EVENT DETAILS: This year’s Global Youth Institute will take place on Thursday, October 16th, and Friday, October 17th, at the Downtown Des Moines Marriott Downtown Hotel, and Saturday, October 18th, at DuPont Pioneer Headquarters in Johnston, IA. Media are welcome to attend any and all parts of the days but are required to preregister. Please contact us to request credentials: Libby Crimmings or 515-314-4865.
EVENT HIGHLIGHTS:
Thursday October 16th
10:00am Keynote Address, H. E. Ernest Bai Koroma, President, Sierra Leone
12:00pm Symposium Luncheon featuring Strive Masiyiwa, Chairman, Alliance for a Green Revolution
2:55-3:55pm Secretary’s Round table with U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack; and Mexican Minister of Agriculture Enrique Martinez y Martinez.
4:00-7:00pm Hall of Laureates tour with special guests Senator Tom Harkin; Assistant Secretary of State Charles Rivkin; and Rwandan Minister of Agriculture Gerardine Mukeshimana.
7:00pm 2014 Laureate Award Ceremony Watch Party
Friday October 17th
9:00am Outreach, Inc. Meal Packaging with Dr. Bram Govaerts, 2014 Borlaug Field Award Winner
12:00pm Laureate Luncheon with 2014 World Food Prize Laureate Dr. Rajaram
1:00-5:00pm Field Experience Tours at DuPont Pioneer Cellulosic Ethanol Facility (Nevada) and Syngenta Seeds (Slater)
6:00pm 2014 Global Youth Institute Oxfam Hunger Banquet
Saturday October 18th
9:45am Students present their research and recommendations to expert panels
1:45pm 2014 World Food Prize Borlaug-Ruan International Internship presentations on their research in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East
For a complete schedule of the Borlaug Dialogue: www.worldfoodprize.org/agenda.
For more information about The World Food Prize Global Youth Institute: www.worldfoodprize.org/youth
Contact: Libby Crimmings, Director of National Education Programs, 515-314-4865
SOCIAL MEDIA: @WorldFoodPrize #Borlaug100 #Borlaugdialogue @thenextnorm #GYI #thenextnorm
ABOUT THE WORLD FOOD PRIZE YOUTH PROGRAMS: In 2014, 1,500 high school students participated in 13 Statewide Youth Institutes, hosted by the World Food Prize Foundation, Land-Grant Universities and local partners. By participating in the youth programs, students are eligible to apply for various scholarships, Borlaug-Ruan International Internships at top agricultural research facilities around the world and Wallace-Carver fellowships with the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
ABOUT THE WORLD FOOD PRIZE: The World Food Prize was founded in 1986 by Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Dr. Norman Borlaug in order to recognize great achievements in improving the quality, quantity and availability of food in the world. The Global Youth Institute began in 1994 with 13 students from Iowa with the goal to educate and inspire the next generation of young scientific and humanitarian leaders in the fight to end hunger. Today, over 1,500 students from 39 states and territories and 25 countries have been selected to participate in the Global Youth Institute.