Amplifying Overlooked Conflicts and Giving Youth a Voice in Global Affairs
By Videep and Dheer, Grade 11, UWCSEA East
13 January 2026
It started as a mere call for collaboration by Grade 8 students Videep and Dheer at UWCSEA East and has since transformed into an online publication that dives deep into some of the world's overlooked conflicts. The World in Pages not only offers a youth perspective on global affairs, its young writers consult people with first-hand experience, accomplished scholars, former government leaders and award-winning experts as part of their research for each edition. Videep and Dheer, now in Grade 11, explain how and why this meaningful project came together.
The inspiration for The World In Pages
Our initiative began with a simple question: why do some global conflicts dominate headlines, while others disappear into silence? Some crises are discussed constantly, while others, equally tragic and historically complex, barely even get noticed in the media or even classrooms. That unevenness frustrated us. Moreover, around the world, young people often don’t get a say in big decisions or research, or when they do, it acts as a form of tokenism. That’s why we started The World in Pages, a youth-led political science journal that amplifies marginalised voices and positions youth at the heart of global media, policymaking and academic research.
Memorable moments on the journey so far
We still remember preparing for an interview for our very first "Featured Edition", Tibet Unveiled: A Tapestry of Tradition & Tranquillity. It felt surreal. Within two weeks, we were somehow speaking with Dr Jay L Garfield, Professor of Philosophy at Smith College and Visiting Professor at Harvard Divinity School in the United States. His willingness to speak with us showed that experts believe in our mission and that, if executed well, it can have a meaningful impact.
Fortunately, it didn’t stop there. We continued, week by week, interviewing professors and experts. While working on our second Featured Edition, The Heart of Sudan: Echoes of War & Hope, we spoke to the Former Finance Minister of Sudan, Dr Ibrahim Elbadawi, a conversation that still feels surreal. Hearing him say our initiative was, “increasing awareness about [Sudan’s] ‘forgotten’ tragic war and … keeping hope alive about its future prospects” sticks with us.
Beyond these interactions, working with our diverse team of contributors from professionals, university undergraduates and high school students across the globe has been extraordinary. We have also been invited to contribute a chapter on the Failures of the Addis Ababa Agreement to the University of Cambridge’s Companion on Sudan’s Civil Wars, an opportunity that we are eternally grateful for.
Most importantly, the contributions, collaborations, and voluntary dedication of youth changemakers worldwide demonstrate that young people believe in our mission.
Overcoming challenges
One of the biggest challenges has been time management. Balancing schoolwork and conducting interviews, rigorous research and writing isn’t easy. Coordinating with our team across Singapore and scheduling interview calls with incredibly busy experts has also tested our ability to adapt to conditions; we conducted several interviews past midnight. However, we overcame some of these challenges through careful planning, clear organisation and communication. Much of it is thanks to our incredible full-time team of Grade 10 students—Neil, Benjamin, Anaika, Emilyn, Esha, Mikayla and Ayaana who is from another school. We divide responsibilities and make sure everyone is able to contribute at a pace that works for them, without feeling overwhelmed.
Pursuing our ambitions as UWCSEA students
Being UWCSEA students gave us the courage, freedom and support to pursue our ambitious project. Before UWCSEA, we used to think that true change can only be made by adults, those already in power. However, through a deeply embedded Service curriculum and Service Sustainability and Development programme, UWCSEA made us realise that it’s not just big leaders who make change, youth can and do play a role in shaping the world. Alongside this, supportive teachers, mentors, and peers have been incredibly inspirational, guiding us and believing in our mission.
Explore The World In Pages
Our third Featured Edition is about the conflict in the region of Nagorno-Karabakh between Armenia and Azerbaijan. This is in addition to four other standard editions.
To learn more, get involved, or subscribe, visit The World In Pages website or contact the team at subscribe@theworldinpages.com.
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