Grade 12 pupil, Aphiwe Meyiwa was another WBHS boy to attend the Global Young Leaders Conference, this time at the conference in Washington and New York.
The purpose of the Global Young Leaders Conference (GYLC) is to distinguish a select group of exceptional high school students from around the world for their scholastic merit and demonstrated leadership ability and to provide them with the opportunity to gain a global perspective through interaction with students from around the world; to meet national and international leaders who are actively involved in Government and the private sector and to include them in a very challenging curriculum that will further develop their leadership skills.
Aphiwe said: “The conference was a huge eye-opener in the sense that it revealed what happens in global politics. The mixture of cultures helped me learn different languages, dances, accents and how to tolerate different ways of doing things even if one does not necessarily agree with them.”
In Washington, Aphiwe took part in many debates and discussions about the solutions to the world’s problems such as hunger and war and had the pleasure of winning one of these discussions. He also visited different Embassies, state departments, UN Headquarters, National Monuments and the White House. The climax of the conference, according to Aphiwe, was being present at the simulation of the Global Summit where the various countries had to reach consensus and global unanimity. He believes that this is an opportunity not to be missed.
Aphiwe has recently been nominated to represent South African youth at the Collegiate Presidential Inauguration Conference taking place early next year. The aim is to unite top achieving students from various countries and allow them to witness the much anticipated, prestigious US Presidential Inauguration. We believe that Aphiwe will represent his country and WBHS with honour and integrity.