First, Second, and Third World Problems at Economic Summit

MADELEINE PARAGAS
Staff Writer

On May 13, students in an Economics course for the second semester participated in one of their final high school projects: the Economic Summit.

The summit is a hands-on activity that allows students to apply what they have learned in class to current world events. Preparation for the event started in February, when students were told to form teams of four and to choose the country they would like to represent during the event.

To avoid having two of the same countries a raffling process was done. Each student was given a player’s guide, a workbook that contained instructions on how the summit works and what they need to do in order to succeed. They were then given a chance to research their country’s traditions, current condition, imports/exports and problems it needs to overcome.

“I had to go shopping for clothing that I never thought in my life I would wear. Though sometimes a little stressing, it has been an interesting experience,” senior Genesis Barajas said.

The events occurred in the big gym, where students exhibited their display boards along with traditional food from their country’s cuisine, while dressed in cultural outfits.

To win the summit, countries must earn points by collaborating with other countries, making trading alliances to import and export goods, getting financial aid from other countries, and taking flag and trading quizzes. The country with the most points at the end of the day wins the summit; this year, the first place winner was Laos.

“[Because of Economic Summit] I have learned more about trade and how it affects the country. I really enjoyed [working on] this project. It’s a real step into a world [many high school students] do not really know,” senior Koby Arriaza said.
Economic Summit gave students the chance to practice real life abilities such as strategic planning, negotiating and extensive researching, while also teaching them about their country’s government, politics, trade, economy, demographics and culture.

“I had to do extensive research for the country I was assigned on topics ranging from the culture to the people, [which made me] very knowledgable because it has taught me about how countries in the world are ran and how they are balanced to keep the economy going,” senior Drew Vazquez said.