THREE Mackie Academy pupils are to take their ideas to the world stage this weekend as they head to America for the Global Young Leaders Conference.
Seniors Nathan Smith, Amy Fraser and Iain McNab are looking forward to the trip of a lifetime in Washington DC and New York.
The conference, which lasts for twelve days, will provide opportunities for them to meet young people from all over the wor
ld and engage in discussion of major economic and political issues, including world trade and conflict resolution.
They will travel first to Washington DC where they will meet diplomats from various embassies, attend briefings from the World Bank and International Monetary Fund and meet with officials from the US State Department.
The young leaders will also take in the sights including some of the city's famous museums and memorials. The highlight will be a visit to the US Holocaust Museum, a place Amy is particularly keen to see following a trip to Auschwitz earlier in the year.
For the second part of the visit they will move to New York where they will have the opportunity to see Ellis Island and the Empire State building, before taking part in a simulation at the United Nations Headquarters.
There they will put into practice all that they have learned from the many talks and presentations included in the experience.
The simulation will give them the chance to represent real countries in an imaginary situation - and the opportunity to come up with better solutions than existing politicians.
The three have been fundraising hard all year organising events at school, including lunchtime karaoke, an S6 coffee morning and providing the catering at the Granite City Rally pit stop. To date they have raised £3400.
Nathan said: "We would just like to thank all of the people who have helped make this trip possible for us, in particular the Earl of Kintore Fund which gave us a very large donation."

AMY FRASER, Iain McNab and Nathan Smith - heading for the United States.
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