Looking ahead, we’re excited for the National Summer Leadership Institute at Villanova University (July 24-26) in Radnor, Pennsylvania, and our upcoming Fall Regional Leadership Institute to be held in Saint Paul, Minnesota. We anticipate adding about 60 new trainers to our growing volunteer network of 700+ educators who volunteer their time to introduce their peers to PopEd!
Meanwhile, the 2025-2026 World of 8 Billion student video contest officially closed its submission window. Students in grades 6-12 were tasked to submit their creative solutions to address this year’s global challenge topics: Energy, Wetlands, & Economics. This contest encourages students to make the population connection, show off their filmmaking skills, and win prizes. We received submissions from students from over 60 countries! Winning entries will be announced on May 19, 2026.
Last year marked an incredible milestone: 50 years of Population Education (PopEd)! Over the decades, PopEd has refined its program, earning a reputation for educational excellence. As the only national program dedicated to helping teachers address human population issues, PopEd fills an important need within K-12 educational settings. Learn more about PopEd’s 50 years of educating K-12 students, with our commemorative December 2025 issue of Population Connection!
Our Population Studies for Higher Education Program continues to engage college students through dynamic presentations and academic resources, including contributions to The Encyclopedia of Biodiversity. We’re off to a strong start this year, with our team presenting to more than 50 college classes across this semester, exploring the links between population, health, environment, and sustainable development.
In addition to giving presentations, our program will once again offer a five-week summer course at the University of North Carolina, later this summer. The course, “World Population Problems,” is open to both undergraduate and graduate students who are eager to learn about the connections between demography, health, and human rights.
“Thank you for your guest lecture. I speak on behalf of the students and myself that we enjoyed your talk deeply and appreciate the insights you shared connecting population, climate change, health, and women’s rights. This is an important issue that deserves attention both locally and internationally. Many thanks also to Population Connection for supporting this advocacy and educational program.” Dr. Idowu "Jola" Ajibade, Professor of Geography, Portland State University
It’s no secret that last year was a challenging one for the global advancement of reproductive health and rights, and 2026 has begun with continued obstacles. The Trump administration announced the expansion of the Global Gag Rule, adding provisions that target DEI and gender inclusion programs.
In response, our Field Team have strengthened the next phase of our joint #Fight4HER campaign with Population Connection Action Fund. We’re mobilizing activists in key battleground states—Arizona, Nevada, North Carolina, and New Hampshire—while maintaining a strong presence in Washington, D.C.
From International Women’s Day rallies to nationwide “No Kings” protests, our community continues to show up, speak out, and demand comprehensive reproductive health care for all. Your support fuels this movement, and we are deeply grateful for your unwavering commitment to health, dignity, and human rights.
Population Connection continues to monitor news coverage and swiftly responds to misleading articles through op-eds, letters to the editor (LTEs), and press releases. In fall 2025, we were featured in NPR’s Weekend Edition as part of its Population Shift series and we were also quoted in a CNN article on pronatalism. So far this year, we have published two LTEs and contributed one additional media quote:
Much of the recent news coverage has responded to the passing of our co-founder, Paul Ehrlich, this past March. Paul and his wife, Anne, authored The Population Bomb in 1968, which raised global awareness of the impacts of rapid population growth and the significance of voluntary family planning services. We send our condolences to Paul Ehrlich’s family, friends, and countless colleagues, as well as Population Connection supporters like you, who have tirelessly carried on the movement Paul sparked nearly 60 years ago.
In 2025, our virtual events brought together nearly 1,000 supporters who remain curious about the solutions to global population growth! Your support has also boosted the reach our Global Partners initiative.
At the same time, our Global Partners initiative expanded from 19 to 24 organizations across Latin America, Africa, and Asia, supporting critical work in education, health, and sustainability. I hope you feel good knowing what a difference your investments in our efforts make and I encourage you to tune in as we feature these new partner organizations in future events!
This year has gotten off to a strong and inspiring start:
We took the floor at the 59th session of the UN Commission on Population and Development (CPD59) with a clear message: evidence matters, rights matter, and we cannot afford to let the global conversation on population drift…
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8,000+ Activists
10,000+ Educators
900+ Supporters
As we reflect on the past year, we would like to highlight the remarkable achievements of Population Connection and Population Connection Action Fund. Your support has had a significant impact, enabling us to raise awareness about population issues and advocate for policies that protect the family planning programs that will help us achieve zero population growth once and for all.
Explore Our 2025 HighlightsFor further exploration, watch our annual Year in Review event, where senior staff share our collective achievements in 2025!
Watch the Recording!
