This past summer, Yale Young Global Scholars (YYGS) offered a session in Sustainable Development & Social Entrepreneurship, where high school students from around the world explored innovative solutions to some of the greatest challenges facing the international community today, including global health, international development, gender equality, and environmental sustainability.
For students interested in climate change, Shams-il Arefin Islam (Yale ‘17, Global Scholars Fellow) and Linda Holcombe (Yale ‘15, Simulation Manager) prepared an environmental case study that helped participants grapple with current climate change challenges faced by world governments, business owners, and the general public.
Shams and Linda trained thirty-two instructors from Yale and other universities to run simulation activities related to their case study, “Nation of Bengal.” This study incorporated real-world scenarios and data collected from climate and environmental-related problems in North America, Europe and Asia. YYGS participants were divided into multiple teams, and each team addressed a specific challenge posed to them from the case study. Solutions were offered in the form of business proposals, policy tool kits, or a combination of both.
Toward the end of the simulation, each team presented their solutions to a group of panelists who challenged students to answer critical questions related to their projects. This year’s winning team, under the guidance of instructor Aseel Alfataftah (Ph.D. candidate at Yale), developed a three-stage proposal for potable water in a flooding scenario. Their proposal included plans for a basic flood water filtration system for residential use, a regional sustainable filtration system, and a national sustainable filtration system with the construction of a desalination plant.
Simulation activities help prepare participants to address top national and international priorities related to environmental problems. The “Nation of Bengal” simulation was designed for students to formulate solutions and address a variety of climate change issues related to rising sea levels, poor water quality, and drought. YYGS hopes that students will continue to apply these critical reasoning and problem solving skills to real-life global issues when they return to their communities post-program.
Written by Shams-il Arefin Islam, Global Scholars Fellow who taught seminars on climate change, credit crisis, and sustainable development during YYGS 2019.