For the next 12 months she has volunteered to take on the newly created position of regional officer with UN Youth NSW as being exposed to some of the biggest problems humankind is facing has given her a new appreciation of the importance of education and gaining a deeper understanding of these complex issues.

She is determined to ensure young people outside of our major cities become involved with the UN to develop their critical thinking skills and start pondering bigger issues that affect our community, the nation and the world.

And, being a part of a road trip to bring two of their long-running competitions – Evatt and Voice – to regional areas is her next task.

One of the stops on the trip will be right here in Singleton at St Catherine’s Catholic College, where Jamison completed her schooling.

On Friday, July 21 she will be facilitating both the debating and public speaking competitions.

Evatt takes the form of a mock session of the UN Security Council where teams of two students debate, amend, and vote on a prepared resolution from the perspective of their assigned nation.

While Voice is a unique public speaking competition for students in Year 7-10 and invites them to solve issues from homelessness to climate change.

Jamison says seeing first-hand the human face of conflict in both Israel and Jordan was an emotional journey upon which she experienced both heartbreak and joy.

She describes a confronting encounter with a Syrian refugee in Jordan.

“The man was once a practicing lawyer before ISIS bombed his family home,” Jamison explains.

At the time his daughter was 10-years-old and she was buried under the rubble.

“Maria was her name and he carried her on his back all the way to the Jordanian border to get medical assistance.”

But in contrast she recalls a visit to the Hand-in-Hand School in Jerusalem where Palestinians and Israelis are taught in the same classroom.

She says each student is fluent in at least three languages.

The school’s mission is to create a strong, inclusive, shared society in Israel through a network of Jewish-Arab integrated bilingual schools and organised communities.

There were also moments when all the group could do was marvel in the natural wonders of the region, like when they took a camel ride through the Wadi Rum desert, stayed at a Bedouin Camp and watched the sunset.

“The trip has taught me so much; our western perspective is not always right and there are more similarities between our cultures than differences.”

Jamison would also like to thank all the local businesses and organisations who helped her fundraise so she could take part in this trip of a lifetime.

They included: