Illuminating APEC: Students Talk with Asia-Pacific Experts

As heads of states from 21 Asia-Pacific economies convened in Honolulu for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit during November 8-13, students at Scarsdale High School in Scarsdale, New York, got the chance to ask two prominent Asia-Pacific experts about APEC and what it means for them, the United States, and people across the APEC region in a special videoconference.

East-West Center President Charles E. Morrison is someone with a longstanding involvement with the APEC process.  Robert Koepcke is Deputy Director of the Bureau for East Asia and Pacific Affairs at the US Department of State, which has been tasked by President Barack Obama to act as the lead government agency in organizing and coordinating APEC 2011 USA activities.  The two experts spoke with students about APEC’s hand in addressing shared challenges and opportunities in arenas relating to economic growth, environmental sustainability, and regional cooperation.  Click here to see the video of the discussion.

The videoconference was part of the launch of “Open Channels,” which showcases youth participation in APEC USA 2011 with an online classroom exchange.  This inaugural exchange connects students in the United States with their counterparts in Australia, China, Indonesia, Japan, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam as they create, share, and comment on multimedia projects showing how international trade shapes daily life and is intertwined with global and local issues in their communities.  Students also propose ideas for innovations that can promote environmental as well as economic sustainability.  Click here to see student projects and the comments, questions, and answers they are generating.  Additional schools and countries will join the “Open Channels” exchange in 2012.