11 February 2009
Web Site Contest Open to American, International Students
Registration for “Doors to Diplomacy 2009” extended to March 9
Washington — Although only one person owned a computer and no one had a car, a team of students in Bulgaria managed to visit a nuclear power plant, conduct a community survey and create a Web site that won the grand prize in the annual Doors to Diplomacy competition in 2008.
“We didn't have any vehicle to go to the power plant, and if it wasn't for our teacher who drove us there, our project wouldn’t have started at all,” said the students in their project proposal. Another obstacle was their limited access to computers, since the school’s Internet room “was always full.”
Doors to Diplomacy challenges young people ages 13 to 18 to create Web sites that teach the importance of global issues and diplomacy. The 2009 competition is now open and registration ends March 9 (it was originally February 28 but was extended). Projects must be completed by March 15 and winners will be announced May 21.
During the 2008 competition, students from the Joan Ekzarh Language School in Vratsa, Bulgaria, competed against 190 other teams from 38 countries. The Vratsa team explored environmental and safety issues connected with the Kozloduy nuclear power plant. The students visited the plant and a local cancer center and conducted a public opinion survey, asking whether reactors 3 and 4 — which were closed as part of Bulgaria’s accession to the European Union — should be reopened.
The Doors to Diplomacy competition is sponsored by the U.S. State Department and the Global SchoolNet Foundation, a nonprofit, Internet-based education program in California. Each year, teams from the United States and another country share the grand prize.
In 2008, the American winners came from Florida. Their Web site raises awareness of the threats to dolphins and manatees from pollution and trash, fishing nets, collisions with boats and jet skis, habitat loss, disease and other dangers.
Each student on the two winning teams receives a $2,000 scholarship. In addition, their coaches — usually teachers — receive $500 cash for their schools.
“In the last two years, there have been a lot of projects about the environment and how the environment affects everybody, no matter where you live,” said Yvonne Marie Andres, president of the GlobalSchoolNet Foundation. “There are also a lot of projects about the importance of the [United Nations] getting involved in solving controversial issues in a peaceful way.”
About half of the Doors to Diplomacy entries are from international students, a percentage that has increased over the years. In addition to Bulgaria, international winners have come from India, Macedonia, Mexico, Taiwan and Uzbekistan. All international entries must be in English, although many teams also create Web sites in their native languages.
WHAT MAKES A GOOD WEB SITE
The quality of entries keeps going up, Andres said. “That is understandable, since schools look at previous entries and they say, ‘Well, I need to do at least that much,’ and then they add more. And of course the Internet tools are getting better.”
However, when asked what the contest judges look for, Andres strongly emphasized Web site content rather than flashy interactive elements. “There’s original research, they back up their research, they describe research process, they state a point of view,” she said. “We want them to present more than one point of view, but then take a position.”
The best sites are created by “students who make it clear they’ve really researched, they really understand all aspects of the issue, and then they provide some insight from their perspective. That advances the whole concept of diplomacy.”
Janice Clark, a public affairs specialist with the State Department and a contest judge, said the Bulgarian students’ Web site shows that “environmental effects don’t recognize country borders. There was thorough research; multidimensional analysis — nuclear, solar, wind, geothermal, hydro; they engaged the public with a survey. The project asked difficult, timely questions and presented meaningful answers.”
“We made people think about what nuclear energy does to the environment and if it could be replaced with an alternative energy source,” the Bulgarian students reported. Most people they surveyed “do not feel sufficiently informed about the environmental and health issues” surrounding the Kozloduy nuclear power plant, the team said.
Each Doors to Diplomacy team is required to evaluate entries from four other teams. The students and educational professionals do the preliminary judging, and final selections are made by the State Department.
Teachers say the peer review process is especially valuable, Andres said. If the student reviewers “don’t understand what the message is or what the educational value is or how to navigate a site, they suddenly realize that creating an educational project is not just about content. It’s also the ability to present a message that people can understand and that’s clear, and that people have to be able to get around on the Web site.”
“I would love to see every school participate in this project,” Andres said. “I really have great hopes with the new administration because I understand there’s going to be a real emphasis on diplomacy.”
“Starting with young people is a great thing to do so they understand that the way to solve the world’s problems is through diplomatic approaches and understanding. I’m very excited about that.”
More information about the Doors to Diplomacy competition is available on the Global SchoolNet Web site.
The 2008 winning sites can be viewed at Fight Against Radiation To Have a Good Wind and Pier2Pier: Helping Wild Dolphins and Manatees.
Also see “International Students Attracted to Diplomacy Web Site Contest” and Technology and Education.
