World Savvy Students Solve Global Problems in Minnesota

This winter, middle school students at Minnetonka Middle School East in Minnetonka, Minn., wowed a large group of judges at the World Savvy Challenge at their school. While most of us are at a loss when discussing solutions to issues like global hunger and water scarcity, seventh-grade students in Ms. Nelson’s social studies class tackled them head-on by conducting research and crafting local, national, and global solutions.

For those of you outside of Minnesota and California, where the program is currently available, World Savvy Challenge engages middle and high school students in project-based learning and collaborative problem-solving around a global theme, such as how child labor or electronic waste (e-waste) affects other countries. Students in Ms. Nelson’s class presented their projects in one of two formats: an exhibit or a website. The top four winning teams will go on to present at Macalester College in St. Paul where they could win funding to implement their plan over the next six months.

As a judge, my job was to interview and score four student teams based on their projects’ content, presentation, and action plan. One team, “Purple Turtle,” impressed me not only because they created their own website, but because they took ownership over their topic.

Once the three other judges and I sat down, Katie and Kate — members of team “Purple Turtle” —  gleefully walked us through their website, which outlined what they learned about clean water scarcity in places like Bangladesh and India, and described their ideas for raising money locally to build wells and support filtration technologies in those countries. Equally as impressive as their findings was their enthusiasm for the cause and ability to work as a team.

So how did they do it? “Everyone loves caribou coffee!” exclaimed Kate. “We brought our laptops [to the coffee shop], and eventually got our parents involved.” Katie explained that what was most satisfying was: “not just hearing others, but coming up with our own solutions [to the issue].”

The whole experience gave me a window into the world of seventh-grade, a glimmer of hope for the next generation, and enough new knowledge to make me reconsider buying a bottle of water at the gas station on the way home. It also reaffirmed my belief that access to real-world learning opportunities like these can enhance the connection between social issues and academic subjects, as well as help adults see young people as more than just a test score.