Daily Times

Future Problem Solving Program International’s (FPSPI) Hybrid International Conference will host over 1,800 champion problem-solvers from around the globe. The Opening Ceremony on June 9th, 2022 will kick off this annual event. These 4th-12th grade students have displayed futuristic thinking and the creative problem-solving skills; local and national qualifying competitions earned them a coveted invitation to the conference. This year two Pakistani students Ahmed Wahab Khalid, A 9th grader from Beaconhouse School System, Kharian and Ayleen Sheikh from TNS Beaconhouse, Lahore in Grade 11 have qualified for the International Conference.

Global Issues Problem Solving (GIPS) competitors will tackle potential problems set in the near future on this year’s topic Antibiotic Resistance. These teams and individuals must research all aspects of Antibiotic Resistance to be prepared for competitive events where a futuristic scenario will be analyzed and addressed.

For the past two years, the event was held virtually. This year FPS will hold their first hybrid International Conference. Participants will arrive on the campus of the University of Massachusetts in Amherst and others will take part virtually. No matter the location, these young leaders, with their enthusiasm and creativity, are ready to tackle the world’s toughest problems. “The problem-solving abilities of our students model the hope and resiliency of our future. We are immensely proud of all the work these students, and their coaches and parents, perform throughout the year. The problem solvers of today will be the change-makers for a better tomorrow!”

FPSPI, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization established in 1974, has grown into an international academic program, challenging students to think creatively and futuristically. For 47 years, Future Problem Solving Program International has worked to help students develop the critical and creative thinking skills they will need to solve real-world challenges and apply those skills to find solutions that have the potential to bring about positive change. Over 15,000 students officially participated in 2020-21, and hundreds of thousands participate each year as the program also reaches students involved non-competitively in classrooms or after-school programs that use materials to enhance curriculum through critical and creative thinking.