Owen&Archie Youth Ambassadors for Change to Bhutan

The First Australian Youth Ambassadors for Change - Bhutan

We are Archie and Owen, Australian Youth Ambassadors for Change to Bhutan!

We are two fifteen-year-old boys who attend Ashfield Boys High School in Sydney, our local public school. With a strong desire to study and volunteer abroad, we researched the overseas programs available to young people. In the end, we realised we wanted to get off the beaten path and not participate in any established program. We have always been intrigued by Bhutan and our research led us to a small school (ELC High School) in the capital, Thimphu, that was surprised by our interest but willing to take us for a semester of 10 th grade (July – Dec 2023). We are attracted to this school because a component of our stay there will be spent in rural Bhutan assisting very disadvantaged

schools and teaching the students there. In Thimphu we hope to purchase a huge load of basic school supplies to transport to these impoverished schools.

The remote Kingdom of Bhutan does not let many people into its country, and it is unprecedented that two high school boys have been given a visa to study and volunteer in the country without their parents. We will be the first young Australians to do this and have been granted the title of Australian Youth Ambassadors for Change. While we have part-time jobs and our parents are helping us, we still need help to get our plane tickets, buy supplies for the rural schools, and pay the school/boarding/visa fees. This endeavour will be the first step in hopefully a long and meaningful international career. Your assistance will help us make real change. We hope you can help us get started!

Sincerely and with thanks,

Owen and Archie