KEY POINTS:
Hayley Jeffrey is determined to make a difference to the world.
The 17-year-old Tauranga Girls College student has been invited to attend the Global Young Leaders Conference in New York and Washington DC, but there is one small catch.
She must raise $10,000, including a $3600 deposit, to secure a place at the conference by the end of this month.
Hayley wasted no time setting up a website and canvassing local businesses for help after receiving her invitation late last month.
Now, she is issuing an urgent appeal to Herald readers.
"I think I'm crazy and so does my family but I am so determined to go, would do anything to get there and I wonder if you could help me spread the word?" she said in an email.
Hayley told the Herald yesterday that her determination to go to the conference, in July next year, was based on her desire to change the world.
"I've always been reading newspapers and just always curious, and the more I read, the more I see there really needs to be people out there making a difference," she said.
A member of her school's issues and climate committee, Hayley was nominated by her economics teacher for a place, and hoped the experience would lead to a career working for the United Nations, possibly developing sustainable farming practices in South America.
The two-week conference for 16- to 18-year-olds includes workshops on economic growth in developing countries, diplomacy, dealing with cultural barriers, and other international issues.
"It's all the stuff that I'm just really, really interested in," she said.
She expected highlights would include being able to visit the UN headquarters and learning first-hand from "the people who have gone out there and made a difference".
Last year, seven New Zealand students attended and coming up with the funds was an issue for most.
The oldest of four children, Hayley said her parents - who own a stained glass and mosaic business - were not in a position to help her financially, and although she planned to get a job, there was no way she could earn $3600 by November 30.
