A Morpeth student has returned home from the cultural experience of a lifetime after taking part in a young leaders conference in the United States.
James Newman (16) from Ulgham took part in the 10 day, Global Young Leaders Conference in Washington DC and New York City. James, who attended King Edward V1 school in Morpeth was joined at the same conference by fellow student Isabella Redmayne.
Other KEVI students Lucy Nevens and Rebecca Storer took part in earlier conferences as part of the same programme organised by Envision. James experienced the 10-day leadership programme with delegates from all around the globe and took part in activities including climate change debates, political discussions and tackled moral and ethical issues.
Split over the two cities of Washington DC and New York, James and his fellow delegates visited war memorials, museums, attended the Japanese Embassy and carried out a Global Summit simulation in the United Nations Building. They were also photographed at the Capitol Building and The White House after learning about US politics.
“This was a fantastic experience for me,” said James.
“It allowed me to explore cultural differences, meet people from all over the world and gain an insight into how international diplomacy works.
“It’s given me a great deal of confidence as I had to travel to the USA alone, deal with flight delays, missed connections and generally make decisions that I’ve never had to do before.
“From an academic viewpoint, this will stand me in good stead for my future as the experiences I’ve had can be used in whichever career path I chose to follow. This may be in my new found communication skills, tolerance of other cultures or my awareness of international diplomacy, they are all good experiences and memories that will last forever as I hope the friendships I made will too.”