Northland teen invited to global young leaders conference

Whangārei teen Rufaro Manjala will represent New Zealand at the global youth leaders conference in the United States. Photo/Imran Ali

When Rufaro Manjala received a letter of invitation to the global young leaders conference in the United States, he thought it was a scam.

But the 17-year-old Whangārei student was too smart to be sucked in by offers out of the blue so he jumped online and did appropriate research to make sure the letter was legitimate.

Manjala and another student from Auckland are only two Kiwis selected to represent New Zealand as a global scholar at the 10-day Global Young Leaders Conference to be held in Washington DC and New York City in July.

There he will get a global understanding of what challenges youths face, how it relates to New Zealand and bring back solutions that work from the new global network he engages with.

The conference is sponsored by George Mason University and through his attendance, he can receive college credits through that university.

His selection was based on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) he did in Auckland last year and his school work.

"I got sent a letter out of the blue. Initially, I thought it was a scam because I didn't know about this conference. I then did some research to make sure it was legit," he said.

"Some random kid from Whangārei gets an opportunity to go to US. I realised it's going to be a huge experience and really valuable for me going forward. What the conference offers is quite incredible," the Huanui College head boy said.

For now, raising $8000 to fund the trip is a challenge but the teenager is optimistic.

His family managed to raise $2910 as at noon yesterday through a givealittle page, a dinner night and selling raffle tickets.

Manjala said the conference would give him an opportunity to not only gain knowledge on global issues affecting youths but to speak about topics of concern in Northland such as youth suicide and global warming.

"When I return from the conference, I need to make sure I have the knowledge to equip Northland youths to tackle global issues that also affect them and to also ensure how the next generation becomes economically active.

"I believe the most valuable currency we have is knowledge. For example, people didn't know what the hell Brexit was. Now that they have learnt about it, they don't like it," Manjala said.

In Washington DC, he will visit international embassies, participate in global issues workshops, and study cross-cultural communication.

On his way to New York city, he will visit the University of Pennsylvania— one of the finest educational institutions in the US.

In New York, Manjala will engage with a United Nations speaker, draft policy proposals, debate issues, and work to pass resolutions. It will culminate in the Global Summit simulation to be held at the UN headquarters.

To help Manjala, go to https://givealittle.co.nz/cause/let-get-rufaro-to-the-global-youth-leadership.