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Presentation
on the Small Islands Voice Inter-regional Workshop held in Palau
in November 2002 to the Mitiaro School Students
By
Maarametua Murare
Tematangarengare High School, Mitiaro, Cook Islands
16 December 2002
Number
of participants: 35
All
students from Grades 3-6 and Forms 1-5 gathered together in the
big room. I started with welcoming them back to school then followed
with my presentation. I told them how I flew to Palau and the
other countries where I stopped, what I did on the first day I
got to Palau and until the day the workshop was declared closed.
I told them about my experiences in Palau and meeting the youth
from the other countries. The children were interested in listening
to what I told them as many have never heard of the countries
which the other youth represented. After I finished telling and
explaining to them about my trip and the workshop I gave them
time to ask questions and tell what they thought they could do
to help youth on Mitiaro. The students agreed that everyone in
the community had the responsibility to encourage, to help, to
listen to and to give advice to the youth on our island. All of
them felt interested and involved and wished that we had longer
time to discuss more about the workshop.
The
first question everyone wanted to know was: What did I find
most interesting in Palau? To this I answered: Meeting the
people especially the youth and knowing what they are thinking
and to learn more about their living and culture. They all were
very happy and wanted me to tell them more about it. But I have
told them the most beautiful place I really love was being at
Jellyfish Lake and Rock Islands. The children really wished that
they were there and so they can see it for themselves.
The
younger students were most interested in me telling them about
Palau. What did it look like? What about the people? I
explained to them that it was much like Mitiaro and the Cook Islands
with raised coral makatea and some maire plants of the smaller
kind. The people are friendly like Cook Islanders. I told them
that it was a bigger version of Rarotonga with much more traffic.
The
older students wanted to know what their schools were like and
was it more modern than Mitiaro? I told them the high school was
a multi-story building, that the students wore uniforms to school
like on Mitiaro only of a different colour, and that education
was more modern and everyone spoke good clear English only with
an American accent like Papa Bruce. They were interested in the
photos, posters and brochures I brought back. I also showed them
on a map my travels.
They
wanted to know if they could have a computer and participate in
the youth internet forum so they could learn more about other
places and talk to students their age so they could share their
feelings and their culture. I told them that Papa Bruce was working
on that for them. Also that soon we would be getting a copy of
the video from the workshop and that I would put it on TV for
the whole island to see. I also told them about the 'rap' music
CD one of the youth from St. Kitts had done and how Small Islands
Voice was going to make a copy for everyone. They thought that
was great. I told them we could then all learn the song. So we
have come to the end of our short day meeting and one of the students
stood up and gave thanks for all the wonderful details I have
shared with them.
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