What's Going On In The World Today?

Do you know that over 2 billion in the world people live in conflict-affected areas? Being in a school like Zurich International School (ZIS) has its benefits: the fun, the amount of knowledge we get, and the opportunities we experience. But what about our expertise regarding current world conflicts and do middle schoolers know enough about them? In our life, we have seen many battles in the world around us. Yet, we have been oblivious and have ignored almost all of them. Mainly because of how young we were in the past years, but now we are old enough to know the truth. It's not just wars; famine, poverty, violence, government corruption and much more. So why don't we start to learn?

ZIS middle school students need to learn more about current world affairs. Many of us in ZIS assume that everything in the world is perfect when it's far from it. Only recently, we have been educating ourselves about this topic. All because of the spotlight that's been put on the Ukraine and Russia war. Parents refrain from speaking about these conflicts with their children because they don't want them exposed to the world's darker side. So the only time students can learn about them is at school.

But is the school trying to teach us about these conflicts in class? The school tries to give us exposure and lead us to be aware. For example, in 2021, the middle school put together hygiene kits for Ukrainian immigrant families on the border. But the school should try even harder, and we, as students, should try harder too. Even though it might be even a little, we can help. We can educate each other and learn from what's happening around us. If students engage in current affairs, it helps them expand their perspective beyond the subjects taught at school. Other students also share this opinion; Giulia Faccio stated, "For me, the only exposure I get is when I'm in class. It is fascinating for me, but I have noticed that we only focus on Ukraine and Russia in class. I'd be more interested if they could do a variety of things about what's happening. I know it's a big part of what's happening right now, but there's also Taiwan and China. If they could at least do a little bit of everything now and then, like, "here's what's happening in this part of the world." I'd be a little more interested." which is exceptionally correct. I agree with Giulia; the world and our school have only focused on Ukraine and Russia when so many conflicts have occurred in regions that no one paid attention to. Our school should focus on various disputes so students know everything. Teachers can/should incorporate learning about these matters into our daily school schedule as it helps us achieve resilience and critical thinking. It assists us in examining global issues and putting them into context.

 One example of ZIS MS students not knowing enough about current world affairs is when Mr. Briggs, the middle school's Learning and Technology Coach, shared a recent experience. He mentioned a conversation he had with an eighth-grade student. He said that while they were talking, the war between Ukraine and Russia was brought up. The student thought the battle between Ukraine and Russia was over, and it sounded to them like old news. When it was certainly not, this information undeniably justifies my point even though it's not the student's fault. We, as students, should be aware. Although what's happening in our world seems made up, it still is our harsh reality.

Now I'm going to inform people about two current world affairs that I think we should acknowledge.

Ukraine and Russia: 

We must go back to the beginning to understand what's happening now in Ukraine and Russia. Vladimir Putin's original goal was to invade and overrun Ukraine, ending its desire to join NATO; the invasion began on February 24th. He wanted to reassert Russia's role as a great power, but having the U.S, NATO, and other countries against him wasn't the ideal situation he wanted to be in. He has now attacked Ukraine, killing thousands of innocent children, women, and men. Currently ( from November 4th), 4.5 million Ukrainians are dealing with power outages, according to President Volodymyr Zelensky. In addition, Russia has been bombing and destroying civilian infrastructure; these Russian strikes are plunging Ukraine into darkness.

"We are not afraid of the dark, the darkest times for us are not without light, but without freedom."

- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Many civilians are afraid of a cold and dark winter; people say that Putin is counting on this winter to help him defeat Ukraine's forces. "Barbarians are attacking our energy, but I am sure we will go through this darkness courageously and with dignity," said Ukrainian President Volodymyr. They show that with everything Russia is putting up against Ukraine, the Ukrainians won't back down from the fight. "Right now, there is no need for massive strikes [on Ukraine]." stated the Russian president in a press conference in Kazakhstan. "For now, there are other tasks because I believe, out of 29 targets, [only] seven were not hit as the Ministry of Defense planned, but they are getting to them gradually. So there is no need for massive strikes, in any case, not for now. In the future, we'll see. We do not set ourselves the task of destroying Ukraine. No, of course not." He was answering the question, "will large-scale attacks continue on Ukraine?"

China and Taiwan:

The China and Taiwan dispute has similarities to Ukraine and Russia. China has always wanted Taiwan, but the United States has been protecting Taiwan over the years. The USA and Taiwan both think that China is a significant threat. However, with defenses weakening and with the influence of Russia on China, people are beginning to worry that China might attack Taiwan. In recent years there have been numerous protests by the Taiwanese people stating, "say no to China, say yes to Taiwan," What's behind China-Taiwan Tensions? . A June 2022 survey found that only 5.2% of Taiwanese supported full independence, while 1.3% favored unification between Taiwan and China. The rest wanted to maintain the status quo with no interest in independence or unification. The tensions between China, Taiwan and the United States have significantly increased over the years; there has been much speculation. No one knows if it's correct. Any conflict over Taiwan could drag on practically anyone in the world. Mainly the United States making it not an ideal situation for anyone to be in. Tensions are rising. Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, whose party platform favors independence, has rebuked Beijing's efforts to undermine democracy. Everyone hopes that things will die down before it becomes a huge mess.

"You can't just force the agreements through. They involve the people. They will affect our generation."

- Accounting student, Charles Liu

What can we do to help?

There are lots of things that we can do to help. We can...  

• Send Humanitarian Supplies to whoever requires help, Ex: Iranians, Somalis, Syrians, Ukrainians etc.

• Join a protest in your city

• Host any refugees needing help ( you can learn more about this on helping refugees websites or by contacting your local help centers )

• Volunteer or support professionally ( Ex: many people are volunteering to go to the borders of Ukraine and help out families )

• Donate to any charity or organization helping people in need—International Rescue Committee, the Red Cross charities, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service etc.

• Sign petitions

• Post on social media for awareness

We must understand that providing aid to those in need is essential. It makes the world better, and it makes us feel better. Studies have shown that giving to others in need boosts our happiness and sense of well-being. It's not only Ukraine and Taiwan. Numerous other countries require help. Oliver McLaughlin said, "My parents are huge charity people; they're very into charity and donating things. I know that they've also been contributing to organizations to help Ukraine. It's essential to also use it as an opportunity to understand that if we were in that situation and had somebody donating to us, that would be a blessing, that would be such a miracle, and it would be so helpful. To give that feeling to the person on the receiving end is what I want to do and what I hope everyone else wants to do." This is an example of how ZIS students are helping people in need. It's great to hear about the other students' contributions to the cause, and I hope everyone can start doing the same.

The ZIS MS students should be more acquainted to the topic of current world affairs. The school should also help with teaching us about these events. Learning about these current affairs gives the students a voice; students can feel more passionate about the topic when they can link their lives to real-world issues. The subject should also be interesting to the class. The teachers should create an encouraging environment where students can openly discuss healthily; this will give them insight into these topics, which they may have never gotten before. This is all so important because learning and awareness of these current issues are essential. ZIS MS students should be aware.