Agents of Change: DAIS Reflections from the NAE Summit

We are thrilled to share that our school proudly took part in the 2025 NAE Student Summit, held this summer at The Village School in Houston, Texas!

This annual summit brings together student ambassadors from across the global Nord Anglia family for an unforgettable week of leadership, service, and social impact. Michael Ma, a standout member of our Sea Dragon Ambassadors Program, and Mr. Singleton, one of our dedicated educators and leadership mentors, represented our school for this summit. As part of their journey, they connected with students, leaders, and advisors from around the world, explored big ideas, and brought back new tools and inspiration to strengthen student leadership at our school community.

Summit Mission

The central mission of this year's NAE Student Summit was to empower young leaders to become agents of change, both locally and globally. With a focus on the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), children's rights, advocacy, and community engagement, the summit truly helped students from all around the world establish practical leadership skills while deepening their understanding of the real-world issues that matter most to them and their communities.

Arrival Day

Student ambassadors from around the world were warmly welcomed by peers and staff at The Village School. The day kicked off with reflection and connection activities that set the tone for a week of collaboration and growth. One of the first workshops, led by Lisa Petro from Generation Global, challenged students to think of dialogue not just as conversation, but as a powerful tool for social change. 

^{Ms. Lisa Petro (in front)}

Day 2

With support from UNICEF, Day 2 deepened students' understanding of the Sustainable Development Goals, examining not just what the goals are, but why they truly matter to us. Teachers, including Mr. Singleton, explored real-world SDG case studies to connect global efforts to local actions.

^{Michael in Houston}

The afternoon featured a powerful hands-on experience at the Houston Food Bank, where students sorted over 6,500 kg of donations — enough to provide 12,000+ meals to families in need. This act of service was a moving reminder of how small actions can lead to big impact.

Day 3

The morning started with an interactive session at the Houston Museum of Natural Science, where students explored energy's past, present, and sustainable future. In the afternoon, participants, including Michael, took the stage to deliver Peer Talks. They shared their personal social impact stories, exchanging ideas and inspiring one another to lead change in their schools and communities.

^{Michael (left) and Dr. Leslie Williams, Group Head of Social Impact}

Day 4

The main theme of Day 4 was centered around advocating with impact. Students practiced real-life advocacy skills, including navigating challenging conversations and developing campaigns for change, guided once again by UNICEF's expert facilitators. Meanwhile, teachers like Mr. Singleton took part in a simulation exploring UNICEF's emergency response work. 

^{Teachers' workshop}

Later, students began finalizing their capstone projects — creative proposals for how they will drive change in their communities.

Day 5

The final day of the summit was nothing short of inspiring. Hosted at the British International School of Houston, the day began with a powerful Leadership Panel featuring Elise Ecoff, Nikki Holmes, Bill Delbrugge, and Barrie Scrymgeour. They summed up the week with reflections that challenged NAE teachers and students to think boldly, act with intention, and lead with heart.

^{Leadership panel}

Mr. Jacob Singleton, DAIS/DHS Global Campus Lead, Sea Dragon Service Ambassadors Supervisor: "The conference was an intense experience which covered leadership development for students, professional development for teachers and plenty of culturally enriching excursions. We had an opportunity to work with UNICEF representatives to discuss the meaning of World's Children Day and how to best leverage the event to help UNICEF do their important work around the world. I was able to see students truly flourish throughout the summit as they mingled with peers from all around the world who are learning in different educational systems."

^{Mr. Singleton (middle) and China region students}

The summit concluded with the highly anticipated Capstone Presentations, where students tackled real-world issues such as mental health, overconsumption, mentorship, and gender equality. Michael's presentation specifically focused on his advocacy towards environmental protections in Jinshitan that indeed left a remarkable impact on the audience. We are very proud of his great accomplishments!

Mr. Singleton: "The proudest moment for me was to watch our student, Michael Ma, deliver his capstone project on his own. The capstone project was designed for students to put together an action plan for a service they were interested in around the SDGs and CRC. Michael decided to go with a focus on the environment and plan to develop a sustainable solution for keeping the beaches of Jinshitan clean. Michael was the only student at the summit who was the single representative for his school. He put together a powerful presentation and leaned on the help of his newly acquired friends to help him work through the project. To see this level of drive and self advocacy from a student from DAIS was remarkable and inspirational as an educator."

^{Michael Ma and Mr. Singleton presenting DAIS/DHS project}

Michael Ma, DAIS/DHS Grade 12: "The NAE Summit in Houston was a wonderful opportunity for me to develop my leadership skills through workshops and the capstone project. This summit gathered over 200 representatives from 50+ NAE schools to transform abstract SDGs into tangible service goals within their local communities. Students addressed problem statements by developing initiatives they would implement upon returning to school. I was particularly impressed by Mr. Scrimgeour’s leadership journey. Previously, I used to think leadership is about power and resources, but his story reshaped my understanding: true leadership is about creating opportunities. Opportunities for members to grow, for volunteers to integrate into our school community, and for organizing great events that create fantastic high school memories for all students."

^{Summit delegates from China}

As the summit drew to an end, our school community could not be prouder of Michael Ma and Mr. Singleton for their outstanding participation and contributions. Their energy, insight, and commitment made a lasting impression not only to our school but to the global community. We are certain that Michael is thrilled and ready to apply what he has acquired from the summit to exert a greater impact on our community. Indeed, their efforts truly align with our school's focus on service learning and student-led impact projects.

Looking Ahead

Want to be the next change-maker? We are confident that by joining the Sea Dragon Ambassadors, launching your own service initiatives, or even just finding new ways to advocate for a small change, you will express your unique voices to make our community a better place!

Mr. Singleton: "The Sea Dragon Service Ambassadors hope to grow the success from the previous year by expanding the campus-based services to match student needs. We will be focusing on providing services for middle school students to support their English and social integration into the school. Additionally, we will be introducing SDG challenges to help center the important initiative on our campus. This will provide opportunities for students to engage with service and the Ambassadors in a way which can positively impact our community and provide students with an experience they can discuss during university applications."

Michael Ma: "Back at DAIS, I will lead service-learning ambassadors by utilizing school resources to achieve more ambitious goals. I represent myself, I represent our school community, and I represent Nord Anglia Education in driving these meaningful changes."

In the 2025-26 school year, Mr. Singleton is keen to collaborate with the Social Impact Leads from other schools to organize a summit that specifically targets international schools in China. The selection process will take place at the end of 2025, and we will update more information later. 

Mr. Singleton: "If students are interested in participating in the upcoming summit, they should be actively participating in service projects on campus and being leaders either in the classroom or in a student group. We will be selecting the students to attend the 2026 summit in December 2025. We will send out an email and place posters around the school in the weeks leading up to the selection date. Students can submit an application as soon as they see the posters in the hallway!"

Don't hesitate, join us to make a change!

Written by: Susan Li, DAIS/DHS Class of 2025
Pictures: NAE, Michael Ma, Mr. Singleton
Editor: Svetlana Ulyakhina