World Food Prize’s SE Iowa Youth Institute held at IW

Looking at bacteria through a microscope had Roselynn Strickland, a sophomore at Holy Trinity High School, thinking about how she can help people outside of her own community and how other communities may not have the same sanitation practices to avoid foodborne illnesses as she does in the U.S.

'These microscopes can see bacteria so clearly,” Strickland said. 'You always hear the stories and problems in other countries. I want to help others have the same opportunities I have.”

Strickland was one of 27 high school students from six southeastern Iowa schools to participate in The World Food Prize's 2019 Southeast Iowa Youth Institute at Iowa Wesleyan University on Thursday, Feb. 21.

Kelsey Tyrrell is coordinator of youth institutes with The World Food Prize and a native of Mt. Pleasant. Tyrrell said Iowa Youth Institutes get students thinking about how they can fight hunger and poverty globally.

'They get to explore careers in science, technology, engineering and other topics making a big difference in our world to get to zero hunger,” Tyrrell said.

Tyrrell said there is projected to be nine billion people on the planet by 2050, and the next generation will be tackling the challenge of feeding everyone.

'Here, they can imagine what's possible and where they see themselves fighting hunger,” Tyrrell said.

Paula Kinney, associate vice president of academic affairs at IW, said that students can take what they learn at the Southeast Iowa Youth Institute and select a topic related to global food security and its impact on a developing country to submit to the Iowa Youth Institute.

The Iowa Youth Institute is an opportunity for students to explore majors and careers related to combating global hunger and poverty every April at Iowa State University. Students are also able to present their own ideas and solutions to real-world experts and professionals. Top students will be able to go on to the Global Youth Institute.

'We're raising awareness of the importance of agriculture and food in our daily lives and how we can make a difference even here in southeast Iowa,” Kinney said.

This is the second year Elizabeth Oetkan, a junior at Danville High School, has participated with The World Food Prize. This year, she is planning on writing her paper for the Iowa Youth Institute about the mental health of farmers.

'A lot of farmers commit suicide if their crops fail because they feel like they let down their family,” Oetkan said.

Oetkan said she used to think she wanted to go to college and study music. Now, she wants to study psychology and possibly join the Peace Corp.

Jaicey Miller, a freshman at WACO High School, still is considering whether or not she will write a paper for the Iowa Youth Institute, but she thoroughly enjoyed attending the Southeast Iowa Youth Institute. Miller said that people everywhere can help anywhere as long as they understand what is needed in another country.

Daniel Hemphill, a junior at Wapello High School, attended the Southeast Iowa Youth Institute because he was interested in learning more about fighting global food insecurity after talking about agriculture in class.

'We worry a lot about hunger, but water quality is a big issue too,” Hemphill said, adding that water quality is what he is focusing his paper on for the Iowa Youth Institute. 'It might not be a big issue here, but it's a big issue around the world and it affects our future.”

For lunch, students participated in an Oxfam Hunger Banquet that simulates the experience of hunger around the world.

Students were given a ticket as they walked into the Social Hall at IW that told them what class they were in: lower, middle or upper. Seven people in the upper class sat at a table set with a white tablecloth, china, silverware and goblets and were served their food. The middle class sat in chairs and served themselves beans and rice from a buffet. The lower class sat on the floor and were given one paper cup, out of which they ate rice and drank water.

Barbara Gartei, a junior at IW, joined the Hunger Banquet as a part of her psychology of food class.

'It's eye-opening,” Gartei said. 'It changes your whole perspective because you don't see how much you take for granted,” she said as she served herself beans and rice as middle class citizen.

'I feel privileged,” said Style Haeftner, a sophomore at Danville High School who sat on the ground spooning rice into his mouth with his fingers in the lower class section.

To end the day, students did a hands-on service learning project, making seed tape to donate to community gardens in southeast Iowa.

Morgan Hoenig, with the Iowa State Extension Office, headed up the project. The seed tapes will be taken to Homestead 1839, a nonprofit community garden in West Burlington, the Fellowship Cup in Mt. Pleasant, a community garden in Wayland and potentially other community gardens across the county.

The crops for the seed tape are carrots and beets, which Hoenig said do not have to be picked immediately and store well, which is important for community gardens that depend on volunteers.

'Here in southeast Iowa, one in eight people are food insecure,” Hoenig said, adding that she hopes these vegetables will help stock the shelves of food pantries this spring and summer.