World Affairs Council of the Desert

The Academic WorldQuest Competition stands as a distinctive initiative in the Coachella Valley, offering a unique opportunity to cultivate the minds of young individuals while equipping them with the necessary tools for future academic success in the demanding realm of international affairs. By participating in this project, students gain exposure to subjects they may have previously considered beyond their grasp. Over a span of four months, youth involved in the project collaborate and utilize digital resources found in their Academic WorldQuest Study Guide. They learn to assess the credibility and accuracy of each source, analyze the structure of primary and secondary sources, provide objective summaries for their teammates, and develop disciplined study schedules. Assisting the students in comprehending this challenging academic content is a team of mentors from the World Affairs Council of the Desert.

The culmination of the project is the WorldQuest Competition, an assessment of high school students’ knowledge in the field of international affairs. The competition takes place in February on the Palm Desert Campus of California State University San Bernardino. Open to any high school in the Coachella Valley, both public and private, each school has the opportunity to register a team. There is no registration fee, and each high school is allowed to enter one team.

Moderated by a figure of prominence in the field of international affairs, journalism, or higher education, the competition revolves around 50 questions drawn from the digital sources listed in the Study Guide. The team that answers the highest number of questions correctly emerges as the victor. Scholarships are granted to each student on the top three teams as well as to students on the team that demonstrates the most improvement compared to the previous year. The winning team earns the privilege of competing in the national competition held in Washington, DC in April each year.

Along with support from our dedicated membership, we are able to host students at our six speaker-series dinners, providing them with the unique opportunity to engage in private conversations with the speaker prior to the dinner.

We believe our partnership with Anderson Children’s Foundation has made a lasting difference in the lives of those we serve.

Contact: Linda Borses, Director of Operations

Email: DesertWorldAffairs@gmail.com