Topical Talk is a program from The Economist Educational Foundation that supports weekly classroom discussions about the news while helping students develop essential critical thinking and communication skills along with media literacy and civic education. The program has three components: Resources, Festivals, and Prizes.
Topical Talk’s free teaching Resources include trustworthy, ready-to-use lessons made by expert teachers in collaboration with world-leading journalists and fact-checkers from The Economist newspaper. The interactive activities support students aged 10 to 16 to be skeptical about news stories and value the importance of evidence in an age of misinformation and fake news.
Teachers are offered four types of Resources, allowing them the flexibility to choose the ones best suited to their learners: The one-hour “Headlines” lessons explore current news stories and are intended for regular classroom discussions. “Special Editions,” comprised of six lessons to analyze a topical issue, can be embedded into the curriculum or used in journalism clubs. “Spotlights,” five 20-minute discussion activities, are perfect for small-group work. These activities are suitable for learners aged 9 and up and contain differentiation opportunities throughout. Support materials in the Topical Talk Toolkit are helpful for measuring knowledge and skills.
Topical Talk Festivals are annual, seven-week global discussions between students and leading topic experts on the top news stories and issues of our time. Festivals use Topical Talk teaching resources as a springboard for inspiring activities, exciting events, and awards for thoughtful conversations and ideas. Topical Talk Festival 2025 will take place from January 20 to March 7, 2025. The festival is suitable for youth aged 10 to 16.
Topical Talk Prizes offer students a chance to be recognized for their work and for their voices to be amplified. After taking part in specific Topical Talk lessons, students are invited to participate in prestigious competitions. The Leadership for Change curriculum, for example, equips 10- to 16-year-olds with key critical-thinking, creative problem-solving, and communication skills. Students learn how issues in the news are being tackled by a diverse group of inspiring leaders and design a “Project for Change,” applying the skills they developed to address challenges in their own communities. Students can then submit their “Project for Change” as part of a global competition. The Leadership for Change Prize empowers youth to become future leaders. Prizewinners receive funding and mentorship to turn their projects into a reality.