Some 200 high school students from all over the world are in Des Moines this weekend for the Iowa Student Global Leadership Conference. Paritosh Kasotia of the Iowa Council for International Understanding (ICIU) says the event features foreign exchange students from high schools across Iowa.
Kasotia says the purpose of the conference is to build leadership and decision-making skills. She says the highlight of the conference are discussions on "critical global issues" such as poverty and child labor. Kasotia says the foreign exchange students can also bring classmates from their host families in Iowa. She says the conference gives the students a unique opportunity.
Kasotia says the students come together and exchange ideas and make friendships that extend beyond their high school years. Kasotia says one of the expected highlights of the conference is the "Earth Balloon." She says it’s an inflatable color balloon that looks like a globe and 30 students can sit inside the globe. Kasotia says the student learn about the physical attributes of the earth. The conference runs through today at the Hotel Fort Des Moines.