Andrew Schwenn’s “What Would You Sacrifice for an Education” won first place in the World of 7 Billion student video contest. He chose to connect population to the global challenge: “Worldwide, one in ten primary school age children and one in three secondary age children are not enrolled in school.”

Andrew’s video starts by speaking directly to the audience and it’s an effective tactic. He asks the viewer if they would give up their free time, the ability to sleep in, or time spent with friends – high priorities for most teenagers – for an education. The effect is to make the viewer look at their own lives; the video makes a personal connection. He goes on to explain the startling number of children around the world who do not receive an education and that “there is a connection between lack of education and overpopulation that makes schooling so important.” Both a voiceover narration and on-screen graphics follow the step-by-step cycle: population increases – people lack resources to send kids to school – kids don’t receive an education – uneducated people tend to have more kids.

A senior at Coppell High School in Coppell, TX, Andrew created his video as an assignment in his Environmental Science class. And while he did have some prior knowledge of population and issues concerning universal education, he said he learned a lot while researching for the video including the realization of just how many people around the world don’t any means of attaining an education.

Want to see the other top videos on this topic?
Second Place – “Stop the Cycle” by Hailey Hess
Honorable Mention – “Universal Education and How it Gives Everyone a Fair Chance” by Matthew Buxton
Honorable Mention – “Would You Make that Difference?” by Niquelle Lewis

Want to participate in a future contest?
Interested in staying informed about next year’s contest? Visit the contest website today and download our free lesson plan to guide you.