Revere High School Students off to Beijing to Take Part in Model G20 Summit

Sixteen Revere High School (RHS) students will have the opportunity of a lifetime as they prepare to travel to Beijing China to participate in a Model G20 Youth Leadership Summit.

The sixteen Revere High students representing the school’s sophomore, junior and senior classes will leave for China on February 15 and then spend a week working with students from over twenty countries around the world to learn more about global systems and build sustainable solutions for the future.

RHS history teacher Mark Fellowes said the Beijing Model G20 Summit focuses on one of today’s most exciting trends: smart cities and global innovation. Students will explore topics like China’s Belt and Road Initiative, urbanization as well as China’s rapid development of infrastructure and its impact on the world’s economy.

The students have been hard at work this school year learning about the challenges confronting our world and how we might find pathways to making positive contributions to the direction of our future.

“The organizer of the event, Knovva Academy, designs an online curriculum and each student has already been going through the different economic, political and environmental systems and are now working their way through some of the topics that will be discussed at the summit.”

As a Model G20 delegate the RHS students will develop skills critical to global leadership, problem solving, diplomacy, and cross-cultural understanding that will require the students to think beyond the examples given in textbooks and apply learning in new, creative ways.

“Once we are there we will go to various workshops and classes as well as act as a delegate with other students from other countries to think about smart technology and how it applies to smart cities,” said senior Sarah Benhalima.

Junior Adam Fazazi said he looks forward to the experience.

“We are going to talk about smart cities and how to make cities more efficient and solve some of the big issues and problems like crime, poverty as well as more pressing issues like climate change,” said Fazazi.

As a  unique  immersive learning experience,  the  Model  G20’s  mission is  to  strive to  ensure the  growth  of all  students in a challenging, respectful,  and  collaborative environment. The Model G20 fosters a student-centered community with purposeful designed, interactive, and  relevant learning opportunities.

“I’ve already done some of the lessons and it was all about Global Citizenship and how it’s important that we start identifying as a human and not as a member of a particular nation like being American,” said junior Manal Dembri. “We live in a very diverse school and it’s one thing to hear the opinion of one of your peers here than to hear the opinion of someone who lives in a different environment. I went last year when it was in Boston and it was interesting to not only discuss some of these global issues with peers but also hear a different perspective from someone living in another country.”

RHS Coordinator of External Learning Opportunities Tiffany Currie said while the students applied and have been granted funding for the program and hotel for the week through scholarships the group still needs to cover the costs of flights, visas, and passports.

“We are still fundraising and that’s an important component of this opportunity for these students,” said Currie.

The group is hoping to raise $10,000 for the trip through a GoFundMe page wet up at www.gofundme.com/reverehightobeijing.com. Those looking to help the students, some of whom have never been on plane, can also donate directly to RHS.