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Environment
and development in coastal regions and in small islands |
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Environment
and development in coastal regions and in small islands |
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Palau workshop papers
SEYCHELLES
PROJECT PROGRESS REPORT SMALL ISLANDS VOICE
Alain De Comarmond and Rolph Payet
Activities
undertaken in 2002
Work of the Steering Committee
Most of the work and
deliberations by the committee comprised brainstorming sessions on ideas and
activities for the project. The committee discussed the approach and strategies
for Small Islands Voice implementation in Seychelles, and the different age
groups to be involved in the project. It was through the committee’s
discussions that specific presentations to the District Administrators and the
Youth Workers took place. The committee had discussions on the Young Islanders
Forum and the choice of school to be involved in the forum. The committee also
deliberated on the community survey, specifically the content and format of the
questionnaire.
Presentation
on the Environment Management Plan to District Administrators
As part of the Small Islands
Voice project activities, a presentation
was made on the Environment Management Plan of Seychelles 2000-2010, by Mr.
Rolph Payet, Mr. Alain De Comarmond, Project Coordinator, and the Head of the
Environment Management Plan Seychelles (EMPS) Coordinating Unit, Mrs. Begum
Nageon De Lestang. This presentation was requested by the Small Islands Voice
Steering Committee member representing the Ministry of Local Government, himself
a District Administrator. A large majority of the District Administrators
attended the presentation and showed great enthusiasm for knowing more about the
activities under the Plan. They were briefed on the different programs covered
under the Environmental Management Plan of Seychelles 2000-2010, the latest
project updates under each program, and future projects and activities at the
local level. One representative suggested having individual management plans for
each district and also developing tourism activities (trail walks and other
ecotourism activities) to generate even more sustainable financing opportunities
in the individual districts. The Ministry of Environment urged the District
Administrators to have a closer working relationship, and not to hesitate in
asking for advice and assistance when in need.
Small
Islands Voice Workshop with Youth Workers
As part of the Small Islands Voice Project, a half-day workshop was organized with the Youth Workers on the 23rd September 2002. The workshop was opened by Mr. Rolph Payet who spoke on the expected outcomes of the workshop. The opening was followed by a visual presentation on the Small Islands Voice project by Mr. Alain De Comarmond, who briefed the Youth Workers on the different components of the project, e.g. the Young Islanders Forum, Global Forum and the Community Survey, and outlined the expected contribution of the Youth Workers and the Youth Action Teams towards the project.
Next on the agenda was a
brainstorming session, where the workers had the opportunity to brainstorm on
the topic What are the main issues facing the youths today? The workers had to
put forward the most pressing issues that they encounter amongst the youth in
their respective districts and regions. The results were then listed in order of
priority:
Sex
Access to recreational activities
Drugs, alcohol, peer pressure
Employment/housing
Political problems
Culture
Education and environment
Transport
Mr. Payet then made a short
presentation on the Community
Survey. The youth workers broke up into regional groups to test out the questionnaire,
this gave them the opportunity to check the efficiency, clarity and format of
the questionnaire. Several suggestions were put forward in terms of formatting
and wording.
At the end of the session, each
individual had the opportunity to voice other issues. An assessment of the
workshop showed satisfaction with the workshop organization and particularly its
participatory nature, and unanimous agreement on the need for more such
activities in the future, especially at a district level.
Meeting
with the Principal Secretary, Ministry of Education and Youth
A meeting was organized with
the Principal Secretary for Youth, Mr.Alain Volcere, to discuss the project and
how to get the maximum participation of the youth. It was agreed that
involvement of youth workers is needed as well as the Youth Action Teams.
Participation
in the Islands of the World Conference
Mr. Alain De Comarmond on behalf of the three Small Islands Voice start-up countries made a presentation on the Small Islands Voice Project at the Islands of the World VII Conference held 26th-30th June 2002 at the University of Prince Edward Island, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada. The presentation was entitled ‘Small Islands Voice: Civil society’s perspective on environment and development issues’.
Seychelles
Youth Conference 2002
This conference is organized
annually and gives youth the chance to voice their views and opinions on
different societal issues including environment, culture, patriotism and
information technology, just to name a few. Each group makes recommendations to
government. The environment discussion group, chaired by Mr. Alain De Comarmond,
made several recommendations, including better enforcement of environmental laws
and regulations and stricter convictions in environmental cases. The youth also
raised the issue of the need for youths to have a voice in development, and the
Small Islands Voice Project was suggested as a possible way for their voice to
be ‘heard’.
National
Workshop on Sustainable Development
A workshop was organized as a
follow-up to the World
Summit on Sustainable Development 2002.
Participants made recommendations to government on how to incorporate the
different points from the Plan of Implementation into National Development
Plans. A representative from a newly-formed youth NGO
wanted to know how the voices of the youths will be heard in decision-making,
Mr. Payet introduced the Small Islands Voice project to the plenary and stated
it aims to do just that.
Trial
Young Islanders Forum
Seychelles is being represented
on the Young
Islanders Forum by Anse Royale Secondary School, located in the
south-eastern side of the main island of Mahe, and in a district full of
tradition and rich in culture. The S3 (1) class (Secondary 3), which comprises
35 pupils, 14-15 years old, is taking part. Mr. De Comarmond held a short
meeting with the two teachers, one an English teacher and the other information
technology, to brief them on the forum’s aims and hand them the relevant
documents. The students can access the internet in their school’s library
where they post their responses. There are 10 personal computers, but only one
is connected to the internet.
Global
Forum
Over 200 e-mail addresses were
sent to UNESCO for the Global
Forum. The addresses was compiled from the e-mail lists that the Ministry
has and from the website of one of the service providers in Seychelles
Media
Coverage
The Small
Islands Voice launching ceremony in March 2002 was given coverage in the
national TV news bulletin, radio coverage through interviews, and publicized in
the Seychelles daily
newspaper. The workshop conducted with the youth workers was also covered on
the radio, and Mr. De Comarmond gave an interview on Small Islands Voice’s
components and activities focusing primarily on the community survey. A notice
was put in the national newspaper for two days to inform the general public
about the community survey that was to be carried out by the youth volunteers.
Distribution
of Small Islands Voice Brochures
The project brochure was distributed to:
Emerging
Issues
Possible
Small Island Voice Activities in 2003
