Students from Kingston High School in New York presented about their experiences from the last two World Summits of Nobel Peace Laureates during Social Justice Week, which was held from February 13 to 17.

Kingston High seniors Julia Hack, Kassidy Kelly, Layla Hindiyeh and Isabelle Stitt-Frederick shared their experiences from the summit. The group was accompanied by adviser Lauren Forstbauer.

 “I’ve seen what a profound impact the World Summits of Nobel Peace Laureates, and I would love for other teenagers to feel an impact like this,” Forstbauer said.

The presentation, which spanned two separate periods, included both an account of the event and an interactive discussion activity about the importance of global understanding.

One of the core messages that the presenters sought to communicate was the importance of both thinking locally and also making a global impact.

The presenters who attended the Summits reflected upon what the Laureates did for their local community that made an impact on the world. They claimed to have learned to better apply the principles of the Laureates to their own lives and futures.

“I wanted to go into science, so I can help the people around me in a positive way. I want to work with Doctors Without Borders, and these Summits inspired me to keep working towards that goal,” Hindiyeh said.

At last year’s Summit, a number of Laureates attended, including David Trimble, Shirin Ebadi, Tawakkol Karman, Leymah Gbowee, Betty Williams, F.W. de Klerk and Jody Williams.

Gallery • 4 Photos

MJ Martinez

Ready to go-- Kingston High School seniors Layla Hindiyeh and Isabelle Stitt-Frederick share their experiences from the World Summits of Nobel Peace Laureates from the past two years during Social Justice Week.The students have attended the last two summits in Barcelona, Spain and Bogotá, Colombia.

During the summits, which were held in Barcelona, Spain and Bogotá, Columbia, the Kingston students had the opportunity to attend a panel discussion, which consisted of debates between the Laureates. Representatives from groups such as the United Nations and Doctors Without Borders also attended.

“All of these organizations and people added to the inspirational aspect of the event. We came back with the energy to change the world,” Hack said.

In addition, the students had the opportunity to attend workshops and meet with global activists, such as South African activist Chaeli Mycroft. Mycroft, who has cerebral palsy, was awarded the International Children’s Peace Prize in 2011 for her work supporting the rights of children with mental illnesses.

“I went to this conference and realized you could reach so many people through so many little ways,” Stitt-Fredericks said.

According to the students and Forstbauer, the central goal of the presentation was to inspire others to realize that no matter what age, everyone has the potential to achieve.

“Hearing the [presenters’] experiences at the World Summit opened my eyes to all the opportunities out in the world for us as teenagers and how we can utilize them to make a difference,” junior Meg Sanders said.