From Nepal to Waukesha: World Affairs Seminar Teaches Sustainability

Sustainability was the topic of choice at this year’s World Affairs Seminar Summer program held last week. Carroll University has hosted the program for three years, although the program has been held for 34 years and served 28,000 students.

The campus center was a buzz with voices as 300 students ate meals, took classes, watched documentaries and participated in other recreational activities such as Karaoke.

Many of the students liked how practical the conference was, giving them ideas of things that they can do in there home communities throughout the world.  The high school students, who ranged in age from 16 to 18, learned about everything from composting to making “garbage art.”

Learning took place in a lecture hall with several different speakers, but also on field trips to places like the Retzer Nature Center and Urban Ecology Center in Milwaukee, just to name a few places.  The week ended with a poster presentation

Participants came from as far a way as Nepal and as close as Waukesha West High School. Many of the teenagers I spoke with received scholarships from local service clubs, such as Rotary or Kiwanis to help offset the cost of attending.

Carroll was picked to host the seminar because “it is easier to learn about the environment in a quiet community such as Waukesha,” said Tom Plantenberg, executive director of the program. Previously, the program had been held at UW-Whitewater.  The students stayed in the residence halls at Carroll.  You can be sure that there was not much sleep to be had.

Carroll hosts many week-long camps coming in and out throughout the summer. I decided to cover this one because the youth are our next generation of leaders and decision makers. I love that these young people are willing to tackle issues such as water – last year’s topic – and sustainability – how we keep our environment in tip-top shape for generations to come.