Education Outreach

The World Affairs Council of Palm Beach is dedicated to academic outreach through curricula for young adults at the high school and college levels. We invite interested students to attend our speaker events. Our outreach includes partnering with high schools, colleges and universities in Palm Beach County and surrounding areas, as well as implementing inter and intra school debates on World Affairs.

Academic WorldQuest:

As part of our education outreach, the World Affairs Council of Palm Beach sponsors Academic WorldQuest. Academic WorldQuest is a flagship program of the World Affairs Councils of America, now widely played at the adult and high school levels around the country. The contest was invented by the Charlotte (NC) Council and now is widely played at the adult and high school levels around the nation. The World Affairs Councils of America started the national competition in Washington, D.C., in March 2002. Participants come from high schools sponsored by World Affairs Councils throughout the United States. It’s a team trivia game testing each competitor’s knowledge of international affairs, geography, history, public health policy and culture, with questions on current events and fun facts. Teams for the local contest consist of four to eight high school students from the same school. The winning local team then travels to Washington, D.C. for the national contest. Teams for the national competition consist of four members. Teams compete by answering rounds of questions testing their knowledge of world affairs.

The World Affairs Council of Palm Beach presents  an annual AWQ Competition in Palm Beach County on the last Saturday in February hosted by Keiser University West Palm Beach. Local high Schools  participate in the competition including Saint Edwards School of Vero Beach, American Heritage High School , West Palm Beach and Suncoast High School , Riviera Beach.

World Affairs Council of Palm Beach InterTalk

In April  2019 the World Affairs Council of Palm Beach inaugurated  WACPB InterTalk,  an interactive program structured for university students from diverse local campuses to meet and share opinions on current global issues.  Participating students have an opportunity to establish a relationship with our World Affairs Council;  allowing them to apply for a scholarship to attend the WACA National  Conferences in Washington, DC  and  also apply for WAC summer intern programs in DC  and special foreign  travel-education programs.  

The first WACPB InterTalk  meeting was held  with students from  Keiser University, Palm Beach Atlantic University and Palm Beach State College who came together to brainstorm and share input on the structure of the new InterTalk program.  All were excited about participating and communicating across campus one on one with students from different local colleges to discuss global issues – and contribute to the creative process.  

Education Outreach is very important to our WAC.  Our Council holds a strong focus in reaching out to students from local colleges to stimulate dialogue and obtain their personal input on current economic, social and political issues.  Our WACPB InterTalk Program includes students from Keiser University, Palm Beach Atlantic University, Palm Beach State College and Indian River State College

The World Affairs Council of Palm Beach Intercollegiate WACPB InterTalk FilmQuest Documentary Project and Competition

In its 2024-2025 season the World Affairs Council of Palm Beach introduced a new component to our InterTalk education outreach – a program coordinating our Council with the Cinematic Arts Department of local universities. 

Basic  Program Objective:

Students from Keiser University, Palm Beach State University, and Local Universities

 will work in interdisciplinary teams to create a 10-15 minute documentary featuring interviews with distinguished speakers from the World Affairs Council Speaker Series. Teams will research their assigned topic, formulate thoughtful interview questions, conduct interviews, and edit a cohesive video that integrates the interview footage and relevant B-roll from the events. The final videos will be published on the WAC Social Media pages, and all videos will be eligible for a cash prize for the best documentary at the end of the academic year.

Requirements:

1.  Each university will form a team of 4-6 students.  Each team should include a mix of disciplines, i.e. Political Science, International Relations (or other related social science discipline) and Cinematic Arts or Communications majors. 
2. Each team will be assigned one speaker from the World Affairs Council’s 2024 – 2025 Season Speaker Series.
3.  Conduct thorough research on the assigned topic and speaker.
4. Develop a set of 10-15 interview questions that reflect critical thinking and relevance.
5. Schedule and conduct the interview in a professional manner just prior the speaker’s presentation at the Colony Hotel in West Palm Beach.
6. Capture B-roll footage during the events to supplement the interview.
7. Edit the footage into a polished 10-15 minute documentary.
8. Submit the final video by the designated deadline for publication on the World Affairs Council’s social media pages.
9.  Prepare a one-page reflection on the process and learning outcomes.

Screening and Competition:

At the conclusion of the academic year and the World Affairs Council’s season, teams will submit their videos for a competition, with the Keiser University Annual Research Symposium serving as a proposed screening platform. During this event, a panel of three judges—drawn from the WAC Board, local media, and community representatives—will evaluate the documentaries and select the top entries to receive cash prizes.