The International Public Policy Association (IPPA) is proud to announce its partnership with Policy for the People on The Pandemic Policython competition.

The Pandemic Policython, scheduled from October 23rd-25th for 48 hours, will provide students from around the world the free opportunity to write policy proposals addressing today’s most pressing challenges in areas such as public health, economic equity, criminal justice, and international affairs. The IPPA will be sending leading academics to host workshops and mentor teams. 

Speakers and mentors from nonprofits like the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, academic institutions like the Harvard Kennedy School, and international NGOs like the World Health Organization will be sharing their expertise, expanding the scope of policy-writing to include an international perspective while addressing community-level problems. The event culminates with submitting the policy memos to policymakers. 

All are welcome to attend, including beginners in policy-writing; most of the participants will be high school and university students who have an interest in public policy. While attendees can choose to work alone, applicants will be paired up into teams of up to 4 on the track of their choosing.

The organizing team is currently looking for people experienced in public policy or one of our specific tracks to help with any of the following: 

- Reviewing and signing off problem statements that will be used as proposal prompts.
- Mentoring participants on policy writing at the event through virtual office hours
- Speaking in webinars covering topics related to your expertise. 
- Judging policy proposals from each track
- Supporting winning teams in their policy advocacy
 

If you would like to serve as a mentor, please fill out this form.

If you would like to register as an attendee, please apply on our website.

About Policy for the People: 

Policy for the People is a fiscally sponsored nonprofit organization of students engaging students in policy. We're students from all over the world, from Harvard to the London School of Economics to the U of Toronto. If you're interested in helping organize or partnering, email us with questions and inquiries at contact@policython.com