We were wonderfully hosted by St Stithians College, which is a huge private school in Johannesburg with extensive grounds and first class sporting facilities. On arrival we were given a tour of the site as we very quickly became accustomed to our new surroundings. During the conference the delegates were tasked with completing many challenges for example completing a night adventure course, taking part in service activities from packing food parcels to painting buildings at a local school and taking part in a cultural evening where schools shared about their own countries.

One of the highlights was our trip to Constitutional Hill to see the original prison in Johannesburg where Nelson Mandela was held before he was transported to Robben Island, and where Gandhi was held when he was arrested in South Africa during one of his visits. We also saw inside the Constitutional Court with all it’s history. A fascinating place! There were about 5 different African countries represented at the conference, from Namibia to Tanzania and Ghana. Friendships were soon formed and whatsapp groups created as the Turi students mixed well with the other delegates.

They also sat through some inspirational talks from old St Stithians Students and staff ranging from how to protect the endangered species of the Vulture to the power of poetry and how it can be used to portray ones thoughts and feelings. When the day came to depart we did so with heavy hearts having experienced a great conference. A bus tour around Johannesburg City along with some retail therapy helped to soften to blow, before we headed back to Nairobi.