Life-changing.

That is how I would describe my time as an Anne Frank Ambassador.

At 17 I had two dreams: To become a teacher, and to become a world-famous author. At 17 was looking for a way to prove that my dream of becoming a Religious, Moral and Philosophical Studies teacher was not just a dream but rather an achievable goal. You see, a teacher in my life had told me otherwise, and stubborn as I was (am…) I was not about to let that go. Although I am still working on the “famous author” part of my life plan, Anne Frank (a fellow dreamer) helped me to achieve the first part of my goal. The story of Anne and her family was one I was already familiar with, when the Anne Frank Trust embarked on their journey in Scotland, I jumped at the chance to join in so I could tell others about Anne and Kitty; about how a diary, of all things, changed how we see history. I wasn’t just a peer guide, but I also got to support the younger peer guides. It turned out there was nothing quite as rewarding as watching those pupils overcome their nerves; or watching the spark in the eyes of those we were helping to educate. Because educate is exactly the right word to describe what the Anne Frank Trust does through its young people.

Anne may have been only 15; I may have been only 17; the peer guides around me may have been only 13; but the Anne Frank Trust taught me that there is no such thing as “only” when it comes to the voice of the youth. They helped to guide my voice towards my goal of teaching others, and this is a privilege I get to enjoy still today. In fact, one my very own Ambassadors has just left school to head to university, and in her goodbye card to me she wrote:

“I want to thank you for taking a chance on me. The quiet and weird new girl that didn’t know who she was and allow her to experience going to Amsterdam…When I look back on my time at school it is always Amsterdam and being an Anne Frank Ambassador that I think of.”

So, with that, Anne Frank’s legacy continues into the world.