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Issues for discussion on Small Islands Voice Youth Forum Phase
Two
| (a) Island heritage |
- Pride in uniqueness of island home
- Beauty of natural island environment and its people
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| (b) Island traditions |
- Keeping local culture alive, e.g. singing and calypso
competitions, drumming events, festivals, carnivals, boat
races
- Introducing new events e.g. jazz festivals
- Keeping local languages alive
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| (c) Sports and recreation |
- Ways for small islands to do well in international
events
- Local sports activities - water-based and land-based
- Recreational activities - cinemas, church groups, 'limin'
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| (d) Environmental issues |
- Need for recycling in view of increased dumping, littering
and garbage
- Decline in the number of young people involved in agriculture
- Pollution
- Water quality (of water used for drinking, swimming
and fishing)
- Impact of the Greenhouse effect, hurricanes and cyclones
- Traditional whaling
- Conservation measures e.g. marine reserves, turtle
conservation programmes
- Impact of increased numbers of new buildings and reclaiming
land from the sea
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| (e) Social concerns |
- Lack of jobs for school leavers and limited choice
of jobs mainly in tourism, fishing and construction industries
- Island brain drain (qualified islanders leaving to
work abroad), migration abroad, importation of foreign
labour
- Speeding, drunk driving, underage driving, driving
under the influence of drugs
- Teenage pregnancy and teenage parents
- Peer pressure
- Increasing theft and violent crime, school dropouts
and gangs
- Isolation from other countries
- Effects of outside events like the terrorist bombing
of the World Trade Centre in the USA in 2001
- Corruption
- Gossip and rumour spreading, incest
- Political leadership
- Good governance
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| (f) Education |
- Impacts (both good and bad) of travelling off-island
for secondary and tertiary education
- Literacy and comprehension
- Ways to improve the educational system to cater for
all needs - academic, vocational and other
- How to deal with students' negative attitudes, absenteeism
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| (g) Health |
- Infectious diseases
- Drug and alcohol abuse - marijuana, crack
- HIV/AIDS
- Diving (fishers) and the bends
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| (h) Tourism |
- Importance of tourism to islands and economic-dependence
on tourism
- Ecotourism
- Private and public beaches
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| (i) Economy |
- High cost of imported goods and fuel
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| (j) Infrastructure |
- Too many cars
- Need for better police, coastguard and health facilities
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| (k) Communications |
- Limited TV programmes
- Limitations of internet access, television and radio
reception
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