MANCHESTER — Five New Hampshire teenagers are among a team of seven young Americans taking on the world this week at the International Rally of Young Rescuers.

The members of the Young Rescuers USA 2012 team left Boston on Friday for the Republic of Belarus, where teams from throughout the world will gather for a week of cultural exchange and a little competition in emergency response skills.

“All my life I've been striving to get in this sort of field and this is a great opportunity,” said Connor Martin, a sophomore at Merrimack High School.

Martin and his six teammates were selected by Young Rescuers USA, a Manchester-based group that has been sending teams to the international rally since 2008. Interested students apply to the group, founded by former U.S. ambassador George Bruno, and are chosen based on their application, an interview and other criteria including “upstanding moral and ethical character.”

Teams from more than 15 other countries have taken part in the annual rally at Lake Naroch, about two hours outside of Minsk.

“It's quite an experience for them between the training they do and the experience they get seeing a different country like this and meeting kids from all over the world,” program director David Tille said.

The itinerary includes visits to historical sites in Minsk as well as a stop at the national library for the former Soviet republic, located west of Russia and east of Poland.

At the rally, members of each team get up on stage for a presentation about their country. The American crew has put together a PowerPoint presentation, taking the audience from East to West to the tunes of “Thriller,” “Cotton Eye Joe” and “Surfin' USA.”

These are motivated teens, who have shown an interest in first aid and have developed skills both individually and as a team under the stress of emergency circumstances.

“You can be an excellent first aid, first responder individually, but being able to work as a team is where the grading comes into play,” said Manchester Fire Lt. Leo Roy, training director for Young Rescuers USA.

The competition part of the rally includes team relays, safety quizzes and emergency response scenarios, like how to treat multiple injuries, requiring the youths to prioritise and quickly coordinate who handles what. Members have also been training for a water rescue, which will require paddling out on the lake, pulling a “body” from the water and getting it back to shore.

“There's a competitive aspect in there, but it's amazing to see how they're very competitive when the event is going on and as soon as it's over, they're all best friends even though they haven't known each other,” Roy said.

Funding to send the seven students and three chaperones come from private donations. Members had a variety of reasons for wanting to be selected to the team.

Martin comes from a family of firefighters and military veterans and plans to join the Marines next fall.

Jared Schoneberger, a junior at the Derryfield School, is also considering the military and said he considered applying to the program as his sister was studying to become an EMT.

“I really started to get interested,” Schoneberger said. “I'm interested in joining the military so I figured this would be a good segue if I do decide to in the future.”

For Windham High School junior Delanie Kneeland, joining the Young Rescuers was an opportunity to add to an already bustling schedule. Kneeland, who will turn 16 on Friday as the team nears the end to the trip, already has a detailed plan for her future, which she hopes will lead to a career as a cardiologist.

“I want to be an EMT through college while I do my undergraduate work and pay my way through college that way,” said Kneeland, who plays field hockey, runs track and won a state title in lacrosse this year.

dalden@unionleader.com