A TEENAGER from Yate is leaving the town on a mission to change the world.

Lindsey Birtles, of Long Croft in Brimsham Park, is being sent on a six-week tour of China by the government.

The 18-year-old student has been selected as one of only 100 young people across the country to form a new Global Fellowship to find out more about the world's largest new economies.

Lindsey, who has just passed the International Baccalaureate with the equivalent of four A grade A-Levels at The Ridings High School in Winterbourne, is being sent to Shanghai with 40 other teenagers.

Other young people are being deployed to growing international players India and Brazil.

The Yate youngster, a former pupil at The Ridge Primary School and Brimsham Green Secondary School, was chosen after a tough selection process.

She said: "I never thought I would get through. I cannot wait to get there now, I have never done anything like this before or travelled so far away."

Lindsey was nominated for the initiative, which is being run by the Department for Children, Schools and Families, by Ridings teacher Rob Ford and headteacher Dr Robert Gibson.

She leaves next Thursday and will spend two weeks learning Mandarin before working in a Chinese school for a fortnight. Lindsey will then be seconded to a global company based in the city before returning home to share what she has learned.

"The whole idea is to give teenagers a firsthand experience of emerging global economies," said Lindsey, who has a confirmed place to read childhood, culture and education at Birmingham University in September 2009.

"They want us to experience globalisation and internationalism and get more young people involved in the international world we live in."

On her return, Lindsey will give talks to pupils at The Ridings, local Brownie groups and other interested organisations.

She will give a presentation on her trip to Gordon Brown in Downing Street in November.

"Going to Downing Street will be an experience in itself," said Lindsey, who hopes to work with children in the future.

"My family and friends are so excited for me and this is an experience I will remember for the rest of my life."

Keep up to date with Lindsey's trip to China at www.bebo.com/globalfellowship