Step two: pick a topic
Which topic do you want to create a Standpoint for?
There were five Festival lessons, but you should only pick one for your Standpoint.
You should work through the Standpoint lesson with your teacher to help you choose a topic and create your piece of work. But if you want a head start, look over the different topics on the Hub and begin thinking about which is your favourite:
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AI and sustainability: difficult choices
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Syria: a turning point?
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Elon Musk: money, power and influence
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One small step for women, one giant leap for humankind
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Russia and Ukraine: three years on
Get started
In the comments below let us know your thoughts on one of more of the following questions:
- Which Festival topic are you most passionate about?
- Which Festival topic had the best discussion?
- Which Festival topic is the most complicated?
- Which Festival topic is most relevant to you and your community?
Comments (13)
Hello!
I personaly found all the topics of the festival intriguing. However, the one i showed more interest about was the one about Syria. This is beacause this was a topic I literaly knew nothing about and learning all those things that are happening on the other side of the globe without me even knowing made me wanna learn more and more. Its also concerning, all those crimes that happen in these underdevelloped countries that make you feel compassion about the people living there.
The topic with the best discussion was definately the one about Elon Musk, as he is a person that does many controversial things and people have different opinions for him. Its nice seeing people express themselves and talk about their opinions.
I believe the most complicated topic was definately the womens rights and stereotypes one, as its still a problem, even now in 2025 a year thats supposed to be marked by developement ,both social and scientific. Still people havent left behind the old perceptions of the world and thats whats stoping our societys from evolving.
The topic more relevant to me and my community has to be women's rights and sterotypes as,again, people in my country dont let go of the beleifs of the past, something that results in women having less oportunitys in life. For example they are not thought to be capable of performing some profesions, something that is absolutely disgusting to believe!
All of these topics have been very interesting, but I think the AI and sustainability topic has been great. I think this because AI has had a big impact on the world and I think we are focusing too much on improving it. Adding onto this I think that the AI and sustainability also had the best discussion. There was lots of very different opinions and I think it is great to listen to other people's ideas. One of the most complicated topics was the Elon Musk: Money power and influence topic. I think it is complicated because of how Elon Musk now has a political position and he is also the richest person in the world. He has a lot of followers on X so he probably has an influence on a lot of people. I think that AI and sustainability topic is the most relevant to our community because of how most of us want to help the environment over AI.
My favourite topic that we have done was probably the one this week about Russia and Ukraine let me give my reasons well firstly I was very interested during the lesson in class because I knew about the war I had seen it on the news a bit but didn't like to watch it because I found it so depressing, but learning about it today was a real eye opener. Hearing all those accounts from different people about what there experiences so i think something else like that would be really good
Out of all the topics, I am the most passionate about the "One small step for women, one giant leap for humankind" discussions. However, I think the topic of Elon Musk and his power had the best discussion as many people had different viewpoints and it helped to open my eyes to different factors that contributed to his power. I think the most complicated topic was also women's rights and stereotypes because the issues discussed were very different and each person described different ways that women's rights and stereotypes affect their lives wherever they live. This topic is also relevant to my community as we're living through a time where women are getting their reproductive rights taken away based on where they are staying and there are more issues rising up to the media of stereotypes with immigrants and the roles of women.
I am very passionate about the current topic on russia and ukraine, because ive gotten so many point of views and retrospectives from my peers and other people. the disscusions on doctors and journalist have all been very well from everyone. I do as well believe the "one small step for woman, one giant leap for mankind" was very good, and my female peers and i found it very relevant to our community in and out of school. one i found complicated was the one on Elon Musk, but that was only because at the time, news was coming out about him every.single.day. so it was a bit hard to keep up with.
All of the topics we discussed were fascinating but the one about AI and sustainability stood out to me the most. AI has had a huge impact on the world, yet I feel that we might be focusing too much on improving it. This topic included a wide range of opinions, which made it really interesting. And it helped me think about a very important and topical topic.
I'm not sure about this because... Ai also have had some bad impact on the world like it also makes children lazy as the always see AI as a substitute.
In this scenario does Ai still have a big impact on the world.
The topic I am most passionate about is AI and sustainability In this topic it explore the intersection of artificial intelligence and sustainable development. It deals how AI can aid in addressing environmental challenges, but also raises concerns about the ethical and practical implications of these technologies. It also teaches us the area on where AI is very important and I believe that it is scientists, they need it for weather forecasting and it also informs them when a natural disaster is coming and then in turn save the world.
The topic with the best discussion was "One small step for women, one giant leap for mankind" This topic talks about the achievements and contributions of women in various fields, from science and technology to politics and social actions . It highlights the importance of gender equality and the ongoing struggle for women's rights.
The most complicated topic is Complex topics like "AI and Sustainability" and "Russia and Ukraine: Three Years On" involves many sided issues that require deep understanding and interesting discussions. These two topics often have no easy answers and involve multiple initiative answers with different and complex perspectives.
I think I will be picking Elon Musk: money, power and influence. I am the most passionate of this one out of them all as I had the best talk to other people when in this discussion. I changed my views a few times and shared my own. He is an incredible man and I was really happy to be able to share my ideas on him and how he is so rich. I think they are all equally as complicated to talk about but different in enjoyability. The most relevant would have to be either Elon Musk or the giant step for humankind. Although the war could affect us with the amount of trading being reduced.
I think the topic that stood out to me was Elon Musk. The things Elon has done have improved the world for the better, however, it has brung many controversies. I think his ideas and his pioneering in advanced electric cars have 100% benefited the world but then, him being close to donald trump has brought arguments.
However,my standpoint is that Elon musk is a good person wh obrings good to the world, such as improving bitcoin, looking to destroy inflation, giving WiFi to countries in need, and allowing free speecch buy buying twitter.In conclusion elon is a good person who will benefit the world
Out of all the topics, I am the most passionate about the situation in Syria. It’s hard to ignore how the conflict has devastated so many lives and shifted the entire region. The choices made during this time will forever echo through history. Syria has become like a giant wound in the heart of the world, a turning point that changed so much. The war caused heartbreak, leaving entire families scattered and cities in ruins. The impact was not just felt by Syrians, but by the whole world. Decisions made in the heat of battle shaped everything that followed. The world watched, but how many acted?
What’s truly complicated is trying to figure out what could have been done to prevent it, or if it was too late by the time the world started paying attention. It’s like trying to stop a wildfire after it’s already spread too far. So many people asked for help, but there was no clear answer. Some countries took action, but not enough was done to save lives or bring peace. Syria’s crisis opened up a whole new debate about what the world should do when people are in danger. How do we even begin to heal after something so catastrophic?
The question that keeps me thinking is: Could we have stopped the crisis in Syria before it spiraled out of control? What should the world have done differently?
I am very passionate about "One small step for women, one giant leap for humankind" because gender inequality makes me upset and shows how even now in 2025 only about 100 women have gone to space while about 643 men have gone to space. Its not fair for this to happen because women are normaly underapreciated. To end it all women are also given less opprotunities to work which is called the motherhood penalty.
After closely analysing each of the individual topics, I have decided that I am definitely most eager to discuss "AI and sustainability". This is a topic that I am extremely passionate about because it is something that is definitely used globally, and influences many people across the globe. However, it is also vital to understand that millions of people do not have access to this new and upcoming technology. Therefore, this topic really excites me and I thoroughly enjoy discussing it. However, I have looked at other people's comments and I do understand their viewpoints about which topic is most exciting for them.
I personally am most passionate about AI and sustainability because I wish to pursue studies in a similiar field, but I also believe the best discussion came from this topic. In "Who should be allowed to use AI" by Kim, I found myself surrounded by tons of lengthy yet engaging comments, these comments often came with great examples that genuinely made me think about the prompt from various new perspectives. Although, the most difficult topic was definitely "Russia and Ukraine: three years on", I believe this is because the discussions focused mainly on what we think should be done with certain issues concerning people's lives, these is a big issues with huge effects on both sides of the conflict, and deciding solutions is very difficult. Finally, the topic most relevant to my community is undeniably "One small step for women, one giant leap for humankind", the discussions in this topic don't only affect me and those around me, but also the grand majority of the world, and until the inbalance is fixed I believe this will be the most influential problem until we do something about it.