On Saturday, March 24, 2007, more than 400 students from Northern California schools will convene at San Francisco State University's campus to compete in the fifth annual World Affairs ChallengeTM, an academic competition on international affairs.

    /24-7PressRelease/ - SAN FRANCISCO, CA - February 28, 2007 - World Savvy, an education nonprofit organization based in San Francisco, is sponsoring the event with over 18 middle schools and high schools participating in the competition. Over 800 students, volunteers and judges are expected throughout the day. Students this year tackle the theme of "The Global Marketplace."

Background
The World Affairs Challenge is an innovative and exciting educational program, designed to ignite interest in global issues among students ages 12 to 18, and encourage them to explore their world and their role in solving the world's most intractable problems. The Challenge has been administered for more than 15 years by the Center for Teaching International Relations (CTIR) at the University of Denver. World Savvy launched the World Affairs Challenge in San Francisco in 2003, and the program has grown rapidly over the past four years as a result of strong interest among students to learn about important global issues.

Impact of Global Education
There is little question that global awareness and citizenship skills are now an essential component of young people's academic, and ultimately, professional success. "Our economy, culture, and politics are global in every respect. A growing number of business leaders have cited 'knowing more about the world' as crucial for students in the 21st century. Yet most young people graduate from high school with limited knowledge of the world beyond our borders," states Dana Curran, Executive Director of World Savvy.

President of the San Francisco Unified School Board Mark Sanchez added that, "The Challenge is an excellent opportunity to engage young people in global issues, and to give them a forum to present solutions to the world's most pressing problems."

The World Affairs Challenge provides an arena for these skills and knowledge to be developed. By incorporating public speaking, dramatic presentation and group problem solving, students are encouraged to analyze real world problems and consider their solutions. The students compete on four main elements during the Challenge: The Formal Presentation, The Collaborative Question, The Discovery Poster, and the Global Awareness Quiz.

Members of the Press are encouraged to learn more about the program by attending and interviewing students, coaches and World Savvy staff at the competition. For more information, call Dana Curran or May Tien at (415) 292-7421 or visit www.worldsavvy.org.

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