FORT LAUDERDALE-HOLLYWOOD INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, FLA. (WSVN) - Survivors of the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School are flying halfway around the world to meet fellow students who have also been rocked by tragedy.
7News cameras captured the Parkland travelers, ready with their packed bags, at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, Saturday morning. They were about to board the long flight to Christchurch, New Zealand.
“We all kind of just looked at each other like, ‘What? Did you just say New Zealand?'” said Ana Solano.
The Stoneman Douglas group will meet with students who started a movement, known as the Student Volunteer Army, after they survived two devastating earthquakes, back in 2010 and 2011, that left 185 dead.
“We were born from an earthquake, them from their shooting, unfortunately,” said Emma Pratt with the Student Volunteer Army. “We both connected, and we both empowered ourselves, used this tragedy to empower ourselves and become the change in our community.”
Parkland student Einav Cohen said she looks forward to bringing back some of their ideas to her community.
“Meeting them and being able to collaborate, like, learn how they were able to create such strong change in their areas and then bringing that education and all that knowledge to our area,” she said.
A total of 28 students, four teachers and one alumnus will be representing Stoneman Douglas for a week at the Christchurch & Parkland Youth Leadership Summit.
“I think that they’re definitely going to share their different tools, but they are coming from two totally different perspectives that I think both parties are going to learn from it,” said MSD teacher Danielle Driscoll.
The Parkland teens and the Student Volunteer Army in New Zealand will be brainstorming on student leadership and volunteerism.
Overall, the students said the summit is not about one specific cause and rather a way for the next generation to come together to promote change in the world.
“I’m beyond inspired by their activism at that hard time for them,” said student Ma’ayan Mizrahi.
“They’ve just created something so amazing after a tragedy, and I want to learn from them of how we can bring that to our community,” added student Emma Davis.
The students are paying for their trip with some help from the New Zealand government, Air New Zealand and the Stoneman Douglas Alumni Association.
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