Artículos

Instructions and topics

16 febrero 2022

“Defensa y Yo 2.0.” is a program jointly carried out by the Embassy of the United States in Spain and esglobal. This project aims to raise awareness of the concept of “culture of defense”. In order to do so, a series of debates are conducted in a set of Spanish universities, which also partake in the developing of the aforementioned project. Attendees can afterwards participate in a contest whose final prize is a trip to Brussels. The goal is to let winners get to know first-hand the functioning of NATO and the main institutions involved in security matters.

Instructions

Being registered and attend to at least one debate is a mandatory requirement in order to participate.
Only students enrolled in any of the participanting universities can take part in the contest.
Should a contestant be selected as one of the winners, it is highly advisable that s/he owns a B2 level in English in order to make the most of the experience.

The topics that are going to be discussed in each university are listed below:

Countering Russian Disinformation (online event, February 22nd, 16:00) – University of Santiago de Compostela (USC) and University Pablo de Olavide (UPO)

NATO, Russia, China, and the International Order (hybrid event, March 3rd, 16:30) – Complutense University of Madrid (UCM) and Pompeu Fabra University (UPF)

A conversation with Wendy Sherman, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State (hybrid event, March 7th, 10:30) – Autonomous University of Madrid (UAM)

Global Security Challenges Facing the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps (online event, March 15th, 16:45) – CEI International Affairs.

Advancing Peace and Security: Insight from Women in the Field (online event, March 30th, 16:00) – University of País Vasco (UPV/EHU) University of Valencia (UV) and Polytechnic University of Madrid (UPM)

Climate Change and Security: Addressing a Growing Global Threat (online event, April 5th, 16:00 ) – Carlos III University (UC3M) and Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB)

Cybersecurity: From Risk to Resilience Governance (online event, April 20th, 17:00) – University of Salamanca (USAL), University of Murcia (UMU) and Rey Juan Carlos University (URJC).

The Future of NATO: The 2022 Madrid Summit and the New Strategic Concept (online event, April 28th, 16:00) – University of Granada (UGR), University of Zaragoza (UNIZAR) and University of Castilla y la Mancha (UCLM) In each debate, a panel of teachers and experts in the field will expound their viewpoints highlighting the most relevant remarks of the topics in question. The format of the sessions will be subject to the health conditions. Therefore, they may be held on-site or virtually. Students are invited to pose questions at the end of the debate.

Instructions to bear in mind when carrying out the projects

Students are given a span of time of three weeks – starting once the last debate of the program has finished – to develop and submit their projects according to the contest criteria. Winners will be chosen by an outside jury made of members of the partner universities – one per institution – and following the established selection criteria detailed below:

Winning proposals will be awarded with a trip to Brussels, where students will have the opportunity to meet with members of NATO and other institutions dealing with the fields of security and defense.
In addition, the best proposal will be chosen by the audience through a popular vote (via social media) and it will have a special mention.
The Embassy of the United States and esglobal will keep the right to use students’ materials and develop or implement their projects, should they find it convenient or meeting their interests.