In 2007 a film was produced documenting two children from India, The United States and China and detailed educational expectations and responsibilities from the perspective of their teachers, parents and themselves. It discusses the critical questions of how each culture is preparing their children for the future and how these decisions and social pressures are going to shape the outlook of their home countries.
“Regardless of nationality, as soon as a student completes the 8th grade, the clock starts ticking. From that very moment the child has approximately -
…Two Million Minutes until high school graduation…Two Million Minutes to build their intellectual foundation…Two Million Minutes to prepare for college and ultimately career…Two Million Minutes to go from a teenager to an adult.
How a student spends their Two Million Minutes - in class, at home studying, playing sports, working, sleeping, socializing or just goofing off -- will affect their economic prospects for the rest of their lives.”
-2 Million Minutes
In 2010 for EF’s annual Global Citizen Scholarship we are embarking on a deep cross-cultural journey to China this summer! The winning students will be exploring the concept of education at a global level. They will experience a new culture alongside like-minded students from the US while engaging in discussions with host students from the Chinese schools that they will be visiting. While seeing the beautiful sites of Chinese culture and history the winners will be participating in thought provoking activities and working on developing a global educational platform to ensure cross cultural competitiveness for the future.
Applicants must take a few minutes to view the trailer at http://www.2mminutes.com/
Once the scholarship recipients are selected they will have the opportunity to view this documentary in full and have the opportunity to discuss with students from China and the US whether they feel that the student chosen to represent them reflects their 2 million minutes in high schoo.