For us young people, there is so much value in being aware of current global events.  The continuous spluttering of foreign events on social media and 24/7 news cycles may seem complicated and overwhelming, but do not let that discourage or distract you. Having a sense of the bigger picture globally is crucial to being a global citizen, training yourself for the new age of information, and preparing yourself for the future where you can make a difference in the world.

The way our education system works disheartens and discourages young adults from becoming aware of current affairs. Instead, as students, your focus is on studying materials for tests or projects, that you seldom will remember for very long. Instead of being taught about the way things work in the real world after high school, students’ work today is impractical with no update of a way to connect current global events and previously learned concepts.  Taking the initiative and keeping up with current, wide-reaching, and constantly changing issues is a great way to take in new information and connect the dots on the world outside of your school textbooks. 

Now, you may ask why. Why should I follow the news? Why should I be aware of global affairs? Because we must be  global citizens instead of not batting an eye to what’s going on in the world outside of the United States (or Lexington). There’s also the reality that in a few years, most of us will be able to vote. If you are not engaged with the world and don’t know what issues you care about or what society you want to live in, how are you going to correctly exercise your rights? You might not even vote in the first place; you might feel disenfranchised by the political system and abstain from voting. We should not live in a bubble,only paying attention to events close to us — the world is an interconnected place, and what happens across the globe causes ripple effects that can be felt at home. We cannot just be a bystander.

I mentioned various consequences above, but living in your personal bubble can directly impact your future. My favorite political scientist, Ian Bremmer, coined the term “GZERO World”, a concept referring to the lack of global leadership and accountability, where the world’s powers are more isolationist and no one steps up to bat for society’s progress. We, as a future generation, will have to take matters into our own hands to solve the problems we’ve been left with — climate change, inequality, and conflict. If the trend continues, this GZERO world can only hurt us and hinder our progress. Furthermore, living in a bubble can result in a worldview that is increasingly prone to stereotypes and ignorance.

Our media atmosphere is a flurry of chaos, to say the least. However, there are plenty of strategies I like to use to find consistency in information: to keep yourself informed effectively and consciously. A great method is to find something consistent – various publications have newsletters, sections, and columns that are released on a specific day of the week. This consistency is key to staying up to date with events, while also taking into account the dedication this schedule requires: a reporter has to investigate and cover on a week-by-week basis, not in a random time frame.

Concerning specific publications, news outlets, and platforms, I have some recommendations based on my personal experience, but I invite you to find out what engages you the most. 

• Substack – a great platform where people write newsletters that come out on a weekly or daily basis, depending on the writer. Plenty of political scientists, historians, etc. 
• The Economist’s Daily Podcast The Intelligence – a daily, 25-minute soundbite covering multiple topics that you might never even hear of in mainstream American media, analyzed through an international lens. 
• Fareed Zakaria’s GPS on CNN (Sunday mornings) – a great weekly analysis of world affairs.
• The PBS NewsHour (weekdays at 6 p.m.) – coverage of global events. 
• Turning on NPR in the car, or reading the newspaper in the morning. 

Some day our generation will be in charge. We want to know our compass and be aware of events around us, not live ignorant of issues circling us. Walking into a job interview, stuff you learned for the SAT has little relevance in the real world and has little to no clout. You want to be knowledgeable and informed. In our future with plenty of problems to solve, our understanding of the current welfare and issues that directly impact us and society are crucial and more important than any high school exam ever will be.