2018 has been a year of changes. Changes in government, changes in culture, and of course changes in our population. According to the United Nations, over 7.6 billion people now live on this planet. More than double what it was just 50 years ago! With a changing climate more and more people are needing to find ways to live in closer proximity to others with more competition for resources. Understanding the causes and effects related to population change can help us manage these important challenges.

Unfortunately, many schools don’t provide a strong education on how global population change affects us. This is where Population Education, and the World of 7 Billion Student Video Contest come in.

The World of 7 Billion Student Video Contest (W7B for short) helps students learn about how global population growth impacts us, our communities, and our societies. This year Population Connection has announced three exciting new topics for the W7B contest including:

• Preserving Biodiversity – Habitat destruction/fragmentation, ecosystem diversity, coral reefs, deforestation, pollinators, extinction, invasive species
• Sustainable Resource Use – Energy, fossil fuel use, single-use products, diet, overfishing, global inequities in consumption
• Protecting Human Rights – Poverty, barriers to education, women and girls, forced migration, environmental/social justice, economic security

Students participating in the World of 7 Billion contest have the chance to use their own creativity to learn more about these important issues. What’s even more helpful is that Population Connection has created an impressive set of teacher resources and curriculum to go along with the student contest. The contest is open to middle and high school students all over the globe. They also have customized resources to help students and teachers get started on the project.

So whether you’re an educator looking for new ways to engage your students in these important environmental and societal issues, or whether you’re a student looking for interesting opportunities to take on a creative project, don’t miss out on this year’s World of 7 Billion contest.