Annabelle Apel
What do Morocco, Ghana, Uganda, and the United States all have in common? Each country gets the opportunity to share their culture and perspectives with Youth Diplomats! This Gulf Coast organization is one of the best for high schoolers because of its focus on expanding international connectivity and providing members with opportunities to develop their professional skills.
Members do not just interact with peers from one region, but from all over the globe. Connected with representatives from the State Department, students are able to learn about life skills in the monthly meetings, host exchange students throughout the year, or attend pop-up events with international visitors.
As a member of Youth Diplomats, I’ve had the opportunity to speak with peers from countries, the most recent being Morocco and Iraq. These exchanges have shown me the similarities between our cultures, despite being oceans and continents apart. Young Moroccan girls had ambitious dreams–similar to mine–to work hard in traditionally male-dominated fields, such as STEM or the military. Iraqi students also cared deeply about the environment as we volunteered to clean up Pensacola nature reserves while they visited the United States.
Youth Diplomats gives amazing chances for young students to engage in their local and global communities while learning more about other cultures–joining is one of the most rewarding decisions one can make.
