GLOBAL IQ GALA – FUNDING GLOBAL EDUCATION
What do you know about our one world?
In the Information Age, we are bombarded at all hours with facts and opinions at our fingertips from all over the world. One of the fun ways to use our information overload is to compete for bragging rights or prizes in trivia contests.
Greater Cincinnati World Affairs Council Gala and Quiz
For the “know-it-alls” or the “want-to-learns”, how about a great reception, auction, dinner and quiz program, one where Jeopardy meets Carmen Santiago? That’s what the Greater Cincinnati World Affairs Council offers as it joins the quiz bandwagon March l9th, at the third annual Gala in support of global education in our region.
Think you can recognize flags from other countries, know the mileage from Caracas to Buenos Aires, world leaders in the news or who got the most hits on Facebook last year? If world affairs, geography, and current events is your trivia sweet spot, or if you just want to have a convivial evening for a worthy cause, this is a night you won’t want to miss.
According to Bob Betz, long time GCWAC Board member, whose team World Wanderers won last year’s contest, the gala and quiz, “is an event that all the members on our team look forward to because of the company and the competition. We all share an interest in making Greater Cincinnati a better place to live and that includes a better understanding of other countries and cultures.”
As a part of a winning table at the first gala, I know this is a very fun way to eat well, spend some money to support a good cause and test your global acumen at the same time. Who needs a good global IQ? We all do.
Academic WorldQuest
There also the added bonus of seeing the world from the viewpoint of the 4,000 high school students in the U.S. currently competing in newly endowed Academic WorldQuest (AWQ). This program, sponsored by the World Affairs Council of America (WACA) and its 96 U.S. councils, brings regional winners to Washington D.C. for a fact-filled weekend to compete for the grand prize. WACA is, according to its website, (www.worldaffairscouncils.org) “the largest non-partisan network in the U.S.” whose mission includes “engaging Americans in international affairs and the critical global issues of our times.”
At the local AWQ competition held at Princeton High School, February 20, teams from seven regional high schools competed for the opportunity to go to D.C. for the national competition. The winning team was Indian Hill, in a close contest with Wyoming and Mariemont High Schools second and third prizewinners.
When I asked some of the forty students attending, why there were willing to give up a Saturday morning to compete by answering l00 questions on topics such as The Arctic, NATO, Food Security and Current Events (all from the Great Decisions Study Guide) they mentioned the necessity of being “globally informed.” No matter what their majors were going to be in college, microbiology, physics, computer science, engineering and international relations were just a few mentioned, they all seemed to understand they would need international connections, content, and experience to succeed. Three-time participant Shane Warren, from Winton Woods, summed up his need to know about the world. “Teens are curious about the world, and after all we are all global citizens sharing one world. “
Miami University and St. Henry High School Teacher, Matt Wahlert, also running for State Representative, said this: “I’ve been bringing students to Academic WorldQuest for eight years and one of our teams ended up 5th in D.C. I enjoy being here with these young people and helping them understand our world. I believe this knowledge is vital.”
Trivia about “Trivia”
According to Wikipedia, the word trivia (trivium is singular) had multiple meanings over time. In ancient Rome, trivia literally meant “three roads.” It also referred to the liberal arts of grammar, logic and rhetoric. Modern usage referred to “trivialities” or bits of information of little consequence, but by the sixties, trivia grew to mean questions and answers exchanged about popular culture and other specific topics in contests from university quiz bowls to weekly bar gatherings. Now these contests cover every topic imaginable, including global affairs.
Please join us.
GCWAC Gala/Quiz in Support of Global Education
March 19, 2016, Hilton Cincinnati Netherland Plaza
$l50 per person, single tickets are limited but still available
Sponsorships are still available
Deborah Schultz
Advisory Board Member
Greater Cincinnati World Affairs Council
Owner – Trans-Borders Solutions
