Climate & Environment
Name one effect of climate change on coastal cities.
Rising sea levels/flooding.
What is a refugee?
A person forced to leave their country due to war, violence, or persecution.
What is the high school graduation rate in DC compared to the national average (higher/lower)?
Lower. The US National Average 87%. DC Average 74%
What does “justice” mean in a democracy?
Fair treatment and equal rights under the law.
What was the major global pandemic that began in 2020?
COVID-19
Which international agreement aims to limit global warming below 2°C?
The Paris Agreement.
Name one global conflict causing migration today.
Ukraine war, Syrian civil war, Sudan conflict, etc.
In many parts of the world, what is the main barrier preventing girls from attending school?
Gender inequality (early marriage, poverty, cultural barriers).
Name one global movement that inspired protests in DC.
Black Lives Matter.
What is one basic need that affects health worldwide?
Clean Water.
How could climate change in Central America affect migration to the U.S.?
Crop failures and natural disasters push people to migrate.
: Which DC neighborhood is home to many immigrant and refugee communities, such as Ethiopian and Salvadoran?
Columbia Heights
Name 2 International Organizations.
United Nations, World Bank, IMF, NATO, Etc.
In many countries, what limits young people’s ability to participate in government?
Age restrictions, lack of voting rights, suppression of free speech.
What international organization responds to global health emergencies?
What DC neighborhood near the Anacostia River is especially vulnerable to climate impacts like flooding?
Ward 7 & 8.
How does hosting refugees in DC connect to global human rights principles?
Commitment to protecting the right to seek asylum.
How does unequal access to education in DC mirror global inequalities?
Disparities in school funding, resources, and opportunities between neighborhoods reflect global gaps.
In 2020, protesters in DC painted “Black Lives Matter” in giant yellow letters along 16th Street leading to the White House. This echoed global protest art seen in cities like Nairobi and Paris after the murder of George Floyd, which drew attention to this 1948 United Nations declaration.
Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Why wards 7 & 8 in DC has some of the highest rates of health challenges like asthma and diabetes?
Combination of deep-rooted environmental racism, which leads to poor air quality from industrial pollution and traffic emissions, and socioeconomic disadvantage, such as low median income, lack of access to healthy food options ("food deserts"), and limited access to quality healthcare and educational resources
This 2023 law, co-sponsored by DC’s own Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton, requires the U.S. government to track greenhouse gas emissions from federal buildings and vehicles—making DC a symbolic test case for federal climate accountability.
The Federal Sustainability Act
In 2022, DC became one of the first U.S. cities to declare itself under a “public emergency” due to buses of asylum seekers arriving from Texas and Arizona. The city responded by creating this new office to coordinate migrant services.
The Office of Migrant Services
Washington, DC, is home to the Organization of American States (OAS). Its educational arm, the Inter-American Program on Education for Democratic Values and Practices, was launched in 2005 to strengthen democracy in the Americas. Globally, this program parallels UNESCO’s 1945 founding purpose, which was to build peace through these two pillars.
Education and Culture
In 2021, the DC Council backed statehood efforts, arguing that more than 700,000 residents deserve full representation in Congress. This percentage shows the support for statehood.
86%
How are mental health issues like depression both a local DC and a global challenge?
Both locally and globally, youth face stress, stigma, and limited access to resources.