INTERDISCIPLINARY BATTLES

🌍 Global Essay Prize for the Rethinkers

In honor of Mirsaid Kassymov, a writer who was not scared by big and obscure questions, we launch this global essay challenge to confront the questions others avoid.

🔥 Essay Topic

“What is a question that is scary to ask—but needs to be asked? Maybe it’s scary. Maybe it sounds stupid. Maybe it’s been ignored for so long, we forgot to care. We’re looking for the unspoken, the taboo, the ridiculous-but-true. Ask the question no one wants to ask—and show us why it matters.”

✍ Who Can Enter?

• Ages 15–30, from any country
• Submit in any language with an English translation (only the English version will be evaluated)

🏆 Prizes

• 🥇 1st Place: 70,000 KZT (~155 USDT)
• 🥈 2nd Place: 50,000 KZT (~110 USDT)
• 🥉 3rd Place: 30,000 KZT (~65 USDT)

🖋 Winning entries will be published in the Literature Obscura Youth Journal

📢 Questions? Email cisteam.astana@gmail.com

💡“What’s the one question Ghana isn’t asking — but should be?"💡

Earlier this year, the Interdisciplinary Forward Essay Challenge invited high school and university students across Ghana to ask bold, future-shaping questions and explore untapped possibilities for the country’s development. The response was inspiring — filled with insight, creativity, and critical thought.

Now, we are excited to announce the winners of the challenge:

🏆 Winners

• 🥇 1st Place – Manteaw Cece Afia Nana Amissah Essay: The Role Human Resource Development—Particularly the Youth—Plays in Sustainable Development in Ghana Read the essay here
• 🥈 2nd Place – Jephert Danso Abbeam Essay: Who Owns Ghana’s Data? The Unspoken Crisis of Digital Sovereignty Read the essay here
• 🥉 3rd Place – Benedict Ofori Debrah Essay: Where Are We Heading? Read the essay here

✨ Congratulations to all participants for pushing boundaries and helping reimagine Ghana’s future. Winners will receive certificates, mentorship, and invitations to join an international leadership forum on June 28th.

On March 15th, we had the privilege of hosting Interdisciplinary Battles: The Problem of Poverty at the Canadian International School.

It was an incredible day filled with innovation, collaboration, and inspiring ideas as participants came together to tackle one of the most pressing global issues: poverty.

🏆 Prize Fund: 70,000 KZT + Special Partner Prizes!

📅 Date: March 15, 2025

📍 Location: Canadian International School

Event Highlights

• 🔹 Theoretical Test: Participants showcased their knowledge of poverty through a comprehensive test based on preparation materials.
• 🔹 Hands-on Project: Teams worked on developing and presenting real-world solutions to poverty, demonstrating passion and problem-solving in action.

We’d like to extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone who participated, supported, and helped make this event a success. Let’s continue to collaborate and think outside the box to address challenges like poverty and make a positive impact on our world.

Work by Participants

• GREEN SHELTER WEBSITE
• QOLDAU TEAM WEBSITE
• QOLDAU TEAM BOOK

This time, STEAM Battles focused on sustainable architecture. Students had a limited time to explore and create a prototype of a sustainable home, using ecological materials, renewable energy, and other sustainable practices.

Relevance to Subjects

• Physics: Insulation, energy efficiency
• Chemistry: Useful chemical reactions, green chemistry, dynamic equilibrium
• Biology: Safeguarding biodiversity, ecosystems, and the impact of architectural design on human health and well-being
• Design: Eco-home design
• Technology: Sensors and technological tools for sustainable homes
• Arts: Impact of colors, shapes, and artistic elements on well-being; exploring architectural styles of different eras and their ecological impact (e.g., Gaudí’s work)
• CAS: Creativity
• FPPL / Local Communities: Investigating indigenous techniques and community-driven sustainable architecture

The initiative of STEAM Battles aims to revolutionize the education landscape by equipping high school and middle school students with practical skills, teamwork abilities, and communication competencies essential for their future success. The implementation strategy, which is already underway, involves coordinating efforts amongst various academic institutions globally to transform STEAM Battles into an international endeavor.

The second stage of the inaugural event brought together 95 individuals from all over Kazakhstan (Astana, Almaty, Karaganda, and Atyrau) and received over 200 applications to attend the event on the first stage. The preparatory phase took 3 months and included over 30 volunteers. We acquired over 100 kg of props. The objective of the hands-on project was that each team had to build a construction capable of holding 30 kg (66 lbs). Additionally, by including a financial literacy component—using our inter-olympiad currency—participants improved their budgeting and money-management skills.

In just one day, our Charity Fair raised $400 to support our organisation’s mission. By providing students with a platform to showcase and sell their goods—ranging from pastries to handcrafted tools—we engaged over 70 individuals in our fundraising efforts. The Ulytau Foundation, after witnessing our work, generously contributed an additional $600.

In the span of two months, we collaborated with all classes to hold an Eco Challenge. This initiative promoted sustainability and student agency by incorporating responsible consumption and production, sustainable communities, and climate action—key pillars of the SDGs. Students collected paper, cardboard, and plastic bottles as props for a culminating event, resulting in approximately 100 kg of paper/cardboard and 50 kg of plastic gathered.