Students 15 to 17 delve deep into the world of international affairs
NORWOOD, Mass., March 6, 2013 /PRNewswire/ — Rebecca is certain of one thing: she wants to become Secretary of State. Marcelo knows he wants to work on international policy for the U.S. government. Both of these high school students jumpstarted their careers by attending the Explo Foreign Affairs program on the campus of Yale University last summer. They began the program with a passion for international relations, but left with a much deeper understanding of just how complex, intricate, and varied diplomacy, policymaking, and international relations can be.
"For the past couple of summers, I've been focused on the Middle East, but beyond what I read in the newspaper and online, I don't know as much about what's happening in the rest of the world, in policy making, or even about many of the United States' foreign policy decisions," Rebecca says. "So reading about program and finding out that it would be taught by staff members from Foreign Affairs magazine and the Council on Foreign Relations sounded so exciting to me. I kind of knew that this would be the full immersion I was looking for."
A collaborative effort of Foreign Affairs, a publication of the Council on Foreign Relations, and Exploration Summer Programs, an international leader in academic enrichment, Explo Foreign Affairs doesn't simply provide students with a window into international relations. It immerses them directly into real-world scenarios which demand substantive, lasting, and enlightened solutions.
From the moment students step foot on campus, they roll up their sleeves and work with peers developing policy positions from multiple perspectives, engage in a multi-day simulation of a foreign policy crisis, handle press conferences, and write op-eds and position papers. Through classroom sessions, guest appearances by leading scholars and practitioners, a trip to New York to visit the United Nations and the Council on Foreign Relations, students develop a unique understanding of what foreign policy actually involves and why it matters, as well as an overview of various career options relating to global issues.
"I'm a Democrat, so everything the Democrats say has to be right," Marcelo says. "But with this program, especially on a more international level, what I came to realize is that it's because of all these different worldviews that there is so much conflict — and so many factors at play — that it's that much harder to come to any sort of resolution. But since we really got to look at the worldviews, we got to really see how past events, conflicts, and decisions have led us to this situation in Syria. I think I've taken on the view of multiple parties, just because I realize that a simple change or word in a treaty can start a war. And because of it, I think I've become more open to different political views while kind of holding onto some of my own."
Moira Kelly, Executive Director of Exploration, says, "Explo Foreign Affairs is designed for curious and motivated students from around the world. The program provides an extraordinary opportunity for young people to examine both the complexities of American foreign policy and whether further policy study is something they want to pursue in college and perhaps as a career."
According to Gideon Rose, Editor of Foreign Affairs and himself a former Explo student, "No issues are more important, no time is too soon to start learning about them, and there is no better way to do so than through this introduction to American foreign policy taught by the staff of Foreign Affairs."
Since 1977, Explo has run highly successful and respected, residential and day, hands-on summer programs on the campuses of Yale University, Wellesley College, and St. Mark's School.
Find out more about Explo Foreign Affairs here: http://www.explo.org/focus/foreignaffairs
Contact:
Crystal Garneier + Tim Watson
Directors of Admission
Explo
Norwood, MA, USA
781.762.7400