Auburn’s College of Education explores international issues in World Affairs Youth Seminar

This summer, rising 10^th- to 12^th-graders learned what it takes to be global leaders at the World Affairs Youth Seminar, or WAYS, conducted by Auburn College of Education Associate Professor Jesús Tirado and other faculty and students.

“The real goal of this camp is to go beyond a familiarity with how other countries view important problems in our world,” Tirado said. “It’s about the students practicing complex problem solving within real-world limits and applications.”

Participants used the Model United Nations (MUN) forum to examine global issues in a real-world context while assuming the role of country delegates and striving to accurately represent their assigned country’s viewpoint. This year, WAYS focused on access to clean water and the Ukraine-Russia conflict.

“It’s challenging to consider all the factors that go into addressing the issues,” said William Odynocki, a student from Allatoona High School in Georgia who was assigned the country Tanzania. “We have to think about contamination, unstable governments, women and children being attacked while trying to get water and other problems.”

Campers participated in daily MUN sessions in which they advocated for the interests of their assigned country. They spoke with their fellow campers—leaders of other countries—to assess the issues from all angles and collaborate on solving problems for their countries.

In the leadup to WAYS, College of Education students majoring in social science education prepared lessons to explore conflicts, data and historical context of the chosen international issues. Campers also attended lectures from faculty and presentations from campus partners such as Alabama Water Watch.

Emma Bond was one of several graduate and undergraduate students from the College of Education working with WAYS Camp this summer. It was her first time working with students in a classroom setting.

“It’s great to get experience with actual students, especially because it’s the age group I’ll likely be working with after graduation,” Bond said.

As a social science education major, working with WAYS also allowed Bond to teach the subject matter she is passionate about.

“Water access is something people in our country don’t often think about, so it’s good for the students to learn about these and other challenges that people face around the world,” she said.

Learn more about the College of Education’s social science education programs online. Additional details about WAYS can be found on the Auburn Youth Programs website.