They got to pose those questions in a recent Skype call with now-former Secretary of State John Kerry. The 45-minute exchange stemmed from a trip Cone took to Washington at the invitation of the U.S. Institute of Peace. Cone is one of four USIP Peace Teachers, competitively selected each year for training in global peacebuilding education.

He came to Washington in January to attend USIP’s Passing the Baton conference, the third such event the institute has organized to mark the foreign policy transition from one administration to another. Kerry was among the headliners from the incumbent administration of President Barack Obama and the incoming national security team of President-elect Donald Trump. Other foreign policy experts and prominent figures addressing the conference included U.S. Senators Lindsey Graham and Tom Cotton, and Retired U.S. Navy Admiral James Stavridis, a former NATO Supreme Allied Commander.

Cone seized the opportunity to hear directly from foreign policy leaders, and flew to Washington at his own expense, armed with questions designed by his students for each speaker. The year-long Peace Teachers Program, part of USIP’s work with students and educators across the United States, commits participants to incorporating peacebuilding concepts and skills into their classrooms.

In Kerry’s session at Passing the Baton, the secretary of state made opening remarks and then took questions. Cone stood up and introduced himself, then asked Kerry to suggest one important issue that his students should study. And, if they did, would Kerry speak with their class? 

Kerry responded that they should study Brexit and other matters related to the European Union. He said if they did, he would be “delighted” to speak with them.

Amsterdam, Harvard

Over the next four months, Cone’s students delved into European issues and their ramifications for the globe. They interviewed journalists in Amsterdam, professors at Harvard, and activists in Paris, asking them all what is happening on the ground that is not being covered by the news? In a video conference call, they shared experiences and opinions on current events with high school students at a girls’ school in east London. They wrote papers on what they learned, and captured their evolving perspectives on video.

On the day of the Skype call with Kerry, Cone’s classroom filled with students, teachers, administrators and parents. Kerry spoke with them for nearly an hour. The students listened, offered their own opinions, and asked questions.

The conversation ended with a discussion of the important role youth play in driving change. Kerry commended the students for their “seriousness of purpose” and offered examples from his own youth—of being involved in voter registration in Mississippi and in the fight for civil rights.

“Pick an issue, pick a place and go out to talk to people,” he challenged the students.

His call to action resonated with the group. “It gives us hope [to hear] that you don’t have to be 30 years older to actually start doing things in the world,” one student said after the call.

Cone will conclude his year as a USIP Peace Teacher in July, but he said he will continue to connect his students with themes of conflict and peace in years to come.