MANKATO — When a RiverBend Academy social worker organized a girls-only discussion group at the charter school, she figured the topics would range around everyday teenage issues.

But sophomore Emily Dittrich wanted to talk about the role of women in other cultures around the world.

When Dittrich attended the Festival of Nations in St. Paul, she didn’t just want to try ethnic foods, she wanted to debate and discuss the influence of religion in different countries.

“Emily is definitely going to be a change maker,” said Anne Mahoney, the RiverBend social worker.

The 14-year-old who dons a black fedora covered in political pins is off to a good start.

Last month, Dittrich was selected to be part of Minnesota’s delegation at this summer’s Youth Conference on National Affairs, part of the YMCA’s Youth in Government program. Twenty-three Minnesotans will be among 450 teens going to Black Mountain, North Carolina; Washington, D.C.; and Philadelphia in July.

“I’ve always been interested in politics and government,” Dittrich said. “I’m interested in laws and what’s going on around in the world around me.”

The Mankato YMCA Youth in Government delegation had 31 members this year. Dittrich is just the second from the program to be selected for the conference during the last decade, said delegation director and YMCA youth program coordinator Nathan Danielson.

“She’s a really bright girl,” Danielson said. “She’s always bringing up interesting topics.”

The national affairs conference, which began in 1968, gives participants a chance to debate and discuss national and world topics. Participants are chosen from performances in Model Assembly and Model United Nations as well as from written proposals based on current events.

Dittrich, who participates in both model organizations, wrote a proposal on housing and treatment for sex offenders and the use of civil commitment units instead of hospitals.

“It’s something I really care about in this community,” she said.

But she’s also eager to explore reaches beyond southern Minnesota.

“I’m excited to meet people from the southern and eastern states,” said Dittrich, who will be raising funds for the conference in the next few weeks. “I’m excited to meet new people and learn what they think of things.”

Eventually, she wants to extend that learning around the world.

Dittrich has taken Spanish and French classes and has plans to attend a Korean language camp this summer for the second year in a row. She said she also wants to learn Mandarin Chinese and Arabic.

“Emily is definitely a go-getter,” Mahoney said. “She’s very interested in world views and the way the world works.”

Dittrich said she realizes that not everyone her age is interested in the way the world works, but she’s not afraid to find out for herself.

“People who really do care about government and politics are going to be the governors of the future,” she said.