In the face of stiff opposition, Head Girl, Kitty Mant gained a place on the Yale Young Global Scholars Programme this summer. Here she tells of the incredible experience she enjoyed and why aspirant 5^th Form and Lower 6^th Form pupils at King’s should follow in her footsteps.

This summer, I attended the Yale Young Global Scholars Program (YYGS) at Yale University, in Connecticut.  Having applied and subsequently been accepted for the programme in the spring, I flew to New York in early July to take part in the two-week programme.  Whilst my programme was entitled ‘International Affairs and Security’ (IAS), throughout the summer there were other programs covering Politics, Law and Economics, Biochemistry and Sustainability, and Entrepreneurship.  Over 200 5^th Form and 6^th Form students on my course included a diverse range of nationalities, representing 107 different countries, including Afghanistan, Rwanda and Hungary to name a few. This made for an incredibly enriching experience.

The summer camp was first and foremost an academic one, with the day consisting of lectures, discussion groups, seminars and a Capstone.  Capstone was a research project undertaken in small groups, which sought to find and propose a solution to a real-world problem and then to present the findings back to other students at the end of the two weeks. Lectures took place every morning for two hours and covered topics such as The Cold War, The New Security State, Combatting Climate Change and Achieving Peace: Outlawing War. These lectures were led by academics, many of whom had extensive first-hand experience working in the world of international relations, such as President Clinton’s Climate Advisor and retired members of the FBI and Mossad. The lectures were followed by discussion groups, giving students a chance to debate and talk about the lecture and share ideas. In the afternoons, pre-selected seminars took place on a wide range of topics such as the poaching crisis, maritime disputes and power grabs in the Middle East. The academic work was rigorous, forcing me to think both broadly and critically about numerous new and challenging topics.

The highlight for me was the two-day simulation, which replicated a real-life oil pipeline dispute in Canada. This simulation saw every student adopt a character, learn their persona, research and network before producing their case in court before a jury. The simulation included witnesses being called to testify and the influence of the press, who through a webpage were able to spread news through the simulation, real or otherwise.

Despite the demanding work schedule, the YYGS programme allowed me to make new friends from all around the globe and to realise that my experience of life so far was vastly different from that of many other students there. YYGS made me challenge so many of my preconceptions and beliefs, making me see the world from a very different point of view. The two weeks were exhausting but extremely rewarding and I would recommend this programme to anyone. I am confident that you would not regret it!

Kitty Mant - Head Girl