Tjaden attends 2018 Annual Global Youth Institute

To the Press

Madelyn Tjaden from Charles City High School was among the 210 students selected to attend the 25th Annual Global Youth Institute Oct. 17-20 in Des Moines.

High school students from 27 U.S. states and territories and 10 countries were selected to attend the prestigious three-day conference. Charles City High School vocational agricultural teacher Bret Spurgin attended the event with Tjaden.

Tjaden discussed world challenges in hunger and poverty with global leaders in science, policy and industry.

In order to participate in the program, students research and write a paper on a topic affecting food security within a specified country and provide recommendations on how to better the lives of a typical family in the country. Tjaden’s paper was about Water Quality/Sanitation in Haiti.

Once accepted, students are invited to attend the three-day event and engage in hands-on sessions and service-learning projects regarding their role in addressing challenges related to agriculture, policy, science, industry and hunger relief efforts in the U.S. and abroad.

The Global Youth Institute is held in conjunction with the World Food Prize Borlaug Dialogue International Symposium, which annually gathers the world’s foremost leaders in global food security.

Students present and discuss their ideas to combat hunger with World Food Prize laureates, international experts and peers from more than 60 countries. Students also attend symposium sessions centered on current research, trends and innovations in combating hunger and poverty. Tjaden interacted with young leaders from countries including Brazil, Canada, China, Dominican Republic, Ghana, Honduras, Kosovo, Mexico, the Netherlands and the Philippines.

The World Food Prize was created in 1986 by Nobel Peace Prize recipient Dr. Norman Borlaug. It is the foremost international award recognizing individuals whose achievements have advanced human development by increasing the quality, quantity or availability of food in the world.