Local Project; Global Studies

At the end of Mod 4, Madeira’s 10th grade students competed head-to-head for $3M of investor funds. The competition was fierce, and the judges were faced with a tough decision.  

While the funds were fictional, the Shark Tank-style presentations given by students address very real issues in the Global South. Each 10th grader at Madeira takes Comparative Global Studies II, which builds on the foundation established during their 9th grade year and continues the regional study of Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East through the lens of global politics, revolution, and human rights. For this project, students worked in groups to design Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) after a Mod’s worth of learning about African Solutions to African Challenges. 

“In some units,” notes History Department Chair Shields Sundberg, “we ask students to ‘choose their own adventure’ and select a region from the global south for which they have an affinity or in which they are interested. As a rule, we are de-emphasizing Western Europe in the class. To effectively decenter in this way, students need to first reflect on what it means to be in partnership with ‘others.’ The NGO project is a fun way for students to think about what works and how best to avoid historical patterns of harm.” 

Common themes throughout the NGO presentations were the importance of equitable education, access to clean energy, and a desire to avoid neo-colonialist behaviors that students learned about through their studies. One group even drafted superstars Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce to be on their fictional Board of Directors, hoping that their global presence would bring added attention to globally significant issues like clean water excess and mindful material use in construction. 

Each group’s NGO was required to address several of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, or SDGs. Created in 2015, with the aim of "peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future,” the 17 SDGs include Zero Hunger (2), Quality Education (4), Decent Work and Economic Growth (8), among other valuable global priorities. 

“The biggest challenge is context; students need to research the context of the challenge and the local realities,” Sundberg shares. “We provide examples of how to develop deep understanding before we ask students to tackle such work in a group project; for example, students learn together about 20th century South Africa from a variety of perspectives before they build their NGOs. NGO projects have included micro-lending for women, apps to spread awareness about climate change, and launching Pan-African art contests to celebrate Africa’s youth." 

Projects such as these are at the heart of Madeira’s innovative, girl-centered curriculum, which incorporates real-world experience with ambitious academics. Though students may not have received millions of investment dollars this time around, globally focused projects like these help shape Madeira students into global thinkers who will have an impact through their junior year Capitol Hill internships, continued studies in college and beyond. 

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