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Launching
ceremony for the UNESCO Small Islands Voice Internet Unit, July
2003
Programme
Invocation
Ms.
Constance Richardson, Member of the Small Islands Voice Coordinating
Committee
Welcome
Remarks
Ms. Dauna Manchester, National Coordinator, Small Islands Voice
Coordinating Committee
Project
Overview and Greetings
Dr. Gillian Cambers, UNESCO Consultant
Remarks
Mr. Osmond Petty, Permanent Secretary Ministry of Education, Deputy
Chairman St. Kitts and Nevis National Commission for UNESCO
Vote
of Thanks
Ms. Lornette Hanley, Member of the Small Islands Voice Coordinating
Committee
Presentations
In
her opening remarks, Ms Manchester welcomed everyone to the 'adopted'
home of Small Islands Voice, 'adopted' in the sense that this
was the real home of the St. Kitts and Nevis National Commission
for UNESCO. This Internet Unit being launched today will allow
young people without access to computers and the internet at home
to connect with island youth elsewhere in the world. The Unit
will eventually comprise five computers connected to the internet
(at present three computers are installed and operational), and
a similar unit with three computers will soon be opened in Nevis.
The Internet Unit will remain open until 6 pm on weekday evenings,
and on Saturday mornings, and will give young people an opportunity
to use modern communication technology to discuss issues with
other youth in small islands around the world.
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Photo
caption: Students, teachers and members of the National
Coordinating Committee listening to the speakers
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Dr.
Cambers expressed her pleasure on behalf of UNESCO at being
present at the launching of the Internet Unit, which represents
considerable hard work on the part of Ms Manchester and the
Small Islands Voice Coordinating Committee. The Small Islands
Voice project, supported by UNESCO, seeks to find out the views
of the general public on environment and development issues
in small islands around the world. Already many project activities
have been conducted in St. Kitts and Nevis. A coordinating committee
has been established, and an opinion survey conducted covering
1% of the Federation's population. A Small Islands Voice display
board has been exhibited at various national events and visitors
have been asked to give their views on the issues displayed.
Three representatives from St. Kitts and Nevis travelled to
Palau in the Pacific in November 2002 to share their findings
and plan future activities with other islands involved in Small
Islands Voice. St. Kitts and Nevis has also participated in
an internet-based youth forum where young people talk to their
counterparts in islands around the world and discuss issues
of concern such as what to do about teenage pregnancy, how to
reduce pollution and ways to combat drug abuse.
The
overall goal of Small Islands Voice is to turn the talk to action,
at the local level by addressing the issues raised and working
together to reduce their impact, and at the international level
by making the voice of small islands heard at international meetings
such as the scheduled review of the programme of action for Small
Island Developing States in Mauritius in 2004. UNESCO hopes that
the opening of this Internet Unit will allow members of the public
and youth without easy access to the internet at home to take
part in these global debates so that together they can make a
difference in the quality of life for islanders around the world
while also taking into account the needs of the generations still
to come.
Mr.
Petty acknowledged the many and varied contributions of UNESCO
to St. Kitts and Nevis, and pointed as an example to the Mathematics
Summer Camp starting next week. He underlined the potential of
Small Islands Voice to find out the issues and translate these
into action and emphasised that St. Kitts and Nevis was committed
to the project; already the government contributes EC$ 54,000
a year to the initiative. Prior to the opening he had done some
research on the internet and found the project's website (www.smallislandsvoice.org)
where the project's goals are clearly laid out. These he summarised:
- obtaining
the views of islanders on environment and development at the
local level
- encouraging
young islanders to get involved
- debating
the issues through internet discussions
- Channelling
the key issues to the local level for action and to the international
level so that the voice of small islands is heard loud and
clear and becomes a driving force in the international
arena.
Mention
was also made of the Small Islands Voice jingle and rap poem,
which show evidence of St. Kitts and Nevis' creativity, and are
being listened to on the internet in other small islands around
the world.
On
behalf of the Ministry of Education he requested all the young
people present at this opening to go back to their schools and
tell the other students about the Internet Unit so that they could
Give a Voice. He then formally launched the Internet Unit
and expressed his hope that it would be used productively.
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Photo
caption: Mr. Osmond Petty addressing the audience
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In
her vote of thanks, Ms. Hanley thanked all the numerous people
and organisations involved in the establishment of the Internet
Unit. She acknowledged the High Schools represented at the opening
of the Unit: Verchilds High School, Cayon High School, Washington
Archibald High School, Sandy Point High School, Basseterre High
School, the Special Education Unit, and Gingerland Secondary
School. All the high schools in the Federation, as well as the
Special Education Unit, are invited to take part in the Small
Islands Voice Youth Forum.
After
the opening ceremony, Dr. Cambers demonstrated the Small Islands
Voice Youth forum to the students and teachers present.
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Photo
caption: Dr. Cambers demonstrating the internet-based
youth forum to some of the attendees
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Photo
caption: Students trying out the youth forum after the
opening ceremony
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