Eight student delegates from the New York Youth Institute joined 162 other delegates at the 2024 Global Youth Institute, an educational conference for high school students hosted annually by the World Food Prize Foundation in Des Moines, Iowa. Students, scholars, and global leaders from around the world came together to discuss global food insecurity and issues related to sustainability and agriculture. This year, the Global Youth Institute celebrated its 30th anniversary.
The journey to the Global Youth Institute begins at the regional level, with youth institutes held at both the state level in the U.S. and the country level internationally. Students choose a country that is not their own and select a global topic of interest, then connect it to food insecurity. They conduct research and develop ideas for solutions that could help reduce food insecurity in that country. Students present their research at their youth institute in front of a panel of experts and peers. Each year, a select group of outstanding students from each youth institute is chosen to attend the Global Youth Institute as esteemed delegates and present their research again.
This past year, eight distinguished students from the New York Youth Institute, held in March at Cornell University, were selected as Global Youth Institute delegates. They included Meredith Browne from East Hampton High School, Sohum Khatoria from Manhasset Secondary School, Emily Zhao from Manhasset High School, Etienne Exantus from Ithaca High School, Mia Collins from Clean Technologies & Sustainable Industries ECHS, Eustorgio Rojas from Bridgehampton High School, Aiyanna Spears from Bridgehampton High School, and Ryan Siglag from Ardsley High School. The students’ research topics ranged from improving Yemen’s agricultural sector through advancements in the country’s coffee trade to combating malnutrition in Egypt using arbuscular mycorrhizal inoculants. Other countries explored by the delegates included India, the Netherlands, Mali, Mexico, Somalia, and Ethiopia. Each delegate’s research, including that of the eight students from New York, will be published on the World Food Prize website.
Etienne Exantus, a senior at Ithaca High School, was selected to receive the prestigious Global Youth Institute Challenge Award at the 2024 World Food Prize Global Youth Institute. Exantus was one of only ten students chosen to receive this honor.
“Serving as a New York delegate at the World Food Prize Global Youth Institute and winning a Global Challenge Award have been transformative experiences, inspiring and empowering me to think deeply about the global food challenges we face and how I can contribute to solutions,” Exantus shared. “I highly recommend this opportunity to students who are passionate about making a tangible impact on the world.”
