After an exciting class of presentations and debates, I was pleasantly surprised when the issue I chose to write my Global Issues Research Paper on, education, was chosen by the class. Though all of the issues were equally important and everyone made great arguments for each issue, I am proud that our class was able to come together and rally behind the cause of education.
My favorite part of this entire process was the passion I witnessed within the education group. We all came together over the idea that education was the universal solution to many issues and that it was the key to development. Though we continued to be open-minded, the more other groups spoke about their issue the more we each realized how education could help their cause. It was great to then see the class support us as our debates went on. I think we successfully presented the importance education can have on the world.
Overall, I think we did a great job as a class presenting our issues. Everyone showcased how they could solve a wide range of problems and how our $10,000 could help people. I believe that each and every one of us had the same goal in mind: to pick an issue that would help us make the the biggest impact possible with $10,000. I am excited for the rest of this process. Choosing an organization will be interesting since there are so many factors to consider. Our next step as a class is to decide what we are really looking for in an organization and then to find an organization that will most effectively put our money to use.
Global Philanthropy 
Heather, you have done an excellent job summarizing our process so far and what lies ahead, and what is was like to be part of the group whose preferred issue area prevailed. You and your group did a very good job outlining how education can address a variety of social ills – that made the difference. But as someone who has been accused of over-selling a strategy for combating social injustice, you might want to think about whether characterizing education as “the universal solution to many issues” and “the key to development” is wise. In the competitive arena of international development, where zero-sum thinking often dominates, words matter and people appreciate those who acknowledge that all solutions, in the words of the $1/day video, are “partial solutions” and are best when complemented by other approaches and innovations. Anyway, nicely done !
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