Two A Level students from Nelson and Colne College Sixth Form have been accepted onto the trip of a lifetime, volunteering with the Red Cross at a Humanitarian Education Camp in Macedonia!
17 year old Amelia Cockell, a former pupil of Colne Primet High School and 16 year old Harriet Sinclair, a former pupil of SS John Fisher and Thomas More Roman Catholic Humanities College, are 2 of only 3 students from amongst hundreds in the country to be selected for the trip. On 6thSeptember, Amelia and Harriet will fly to Macedonia and stay in a town called Struga for 5 days. Whilst there, the girls will attend workshops about International Humanitarian Law, learning more about the laws that are agreed between countries at war and how the Red Cross acts as a neutral, independent and impartial mediator, aiding both conflicting sides whilst wearing the emblem that is known worldwide as a sign of peace.
Both Harriet and Amelia are keen science students and both participate in the College’s Pre-med programme, which aims to help dedicated young people to achieve their dreams of working in the medical professions. Harriet has ambitions of gaining a place at medical school and Amelia hopes to work in either Forensic Science or Biomedical Science. Volunteer work is a fantastic opportunity for young people, because not only does it broaden their horizons, giving them a fresh view on the world, but it also looks fantastic on their CV, making them stand out from the crowd when applying for university or jobs.
Harriet said, “I signed up with the Red Cross when I started at the College and I’ve been a volunteer for nearly a year now. So far I’ve been trained in CALMER (providing emotional support), humanitarian education, HIV & Aids awareness and Refugee awareness and I’ll have done my safeguarding, event first aid and international humanitarian law training by the end of the year. I’m really looking forward to Macedonia, especially with work abroad being so difficult to gain for anyone under 18, and being one of the two students selected from the Red Cross society in Britain is amazing. We will get the opportunity to work alongside students and teachers from across the globe, and I’m looking forward to seeing how their Red Cross and local communities promote humanitarianism and are resilient to global injustices.”
