By Nelson Graves
Three schools on three continents have agreed to join News-Decoder, expanding our network of academic institutions as we prepare to launch a revamped and beefed-up program for young people around the world.
Herlufsholm School in Denmark, Middlesex School in the United States and the African Leadership Academy in South Africa have signed up for our 2018-19 program, joining the 14 founding members of our not-for-profit.
The new institutions increase our global footprint to 10 countries and bring us closer to our goal of being the pre-eminent international community of young learners.
Importantly, the three newcomers are among the most prestigious schools in their countries, ensuring they will bring curiosity, creativity and authority to our fledgling program.
News-Decoder helps young people expand their horizons and deepen their knowledge of international affairs. We organize webinars, publish multimedia content by young people, offer online courses and mentor students. Later this year we will be launching a revamped website, eLearning platform and discussion board.
Starting in September, partner schools will tackle major global issues through a series of webinars and published content on www.news-decoder.com. The topics include human rights, the future of democracy, globalization, the South China Sea, nationalism and climate change.
The schools bring different perspectives to News-Decoder.
Founded in 1565, Herlufsholm Skole og Gods is Denmark’s oldest boarding school. A section of one building on campus dates from a 12th-century monastery, and its graduates have included many famous Danes. Herlufscholm has about 650 students, both day students and boarders, from the 6th Grade through high school, and offers the International Baccalaureate.
Middlesex School is located outside of Boston, Massachusetts. It has about 400 high school students, both day and boarders, and features small classes thanks to its relatively low student-faculty ratio. Its graduates include at least two U.S. senators, one currently serving, and two ex-governors.
The African Leadership Academy (ALA) is located near Johannesburg. Founded in 2004, its mission is to identify, educate and connect the continent’s next generation of leaders. It draws students aged 16 to 19 from across the continent and offers a two-year pre-university program based on the Cambridge A Levels.
In a first, a News-Decoder donor who is keen to see us expand into Africa has offered to cover the costs of ALA’s membership for 2018-19. Donors have already sponsored webinars and our twice-yearly reporting and writing contests, but this is the first time that a donor has underwritten a school’s membership.
These three schools will bring different perspectives to our community in line with our mission of challenging youth to see multiple sides to tough issues.
I’d like to thank the schools for their trust and look forward to working with their students and faculty in coming months.
Nelson Graves is the founder of News-Decoder. He was a correspondent, bureau chief and regional managing editor at Reuters, holding posts in Washington, Paris, New Delhi, Kuala Lumpur, Milan and Tokyo. He later served as admissions director at Johns Hopkins University’s graduate program in international relations in Europe, and has worked with schools around the world as a teacher and trustee.