|
Phase 2
activities Feb-Dec 2003
A second
phase of the internet-based youth forum started at the beginning
of February and will run until the end of 2003. This forum is
available for viewing at http://www.sivyouth.org
(with user name view and password only).
Schools
from the following islands and their
students are involved in the second phase of the forum: Bahamas,
Dominica, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Vincent and the Grenadines,
San Andres Archipelago in the Caribbean; Maldives, Mauritius and
Seychelles in the Indian Ocean; Cook Islands, Fiji and Palau in
the Pacific.
The focus
of this second phase is an in-depth discussion of the issues raised
during the trial phase (September to December 2002), with the
long-term goal of moving from discussion to action on-the-ground.
|
Photo
caption: Students from Nukutere College, Cook Islands, prepare
their article on 'Agriculture'
for the second phase of the youth forum
|
Based on the
outcome of Phase 1, several issues
have been listed for discussion. Students in the participating
schools are preparing short (500-750 words) articles based on
topics selected from this list. Starting on 11 March 2003, a new
article is posted every second Tuesday and students discuss in
an interactive manner the subject matter of the article. Topics
discussed on the forum range from hydroponic agriculture to teenage
pregnancy, and from the dangers of asbestos to island traditions.
As part of
the initiative, computer equipment
has been provided to schools in some of the islands. Some countries
such as the Cook Islands are finding innovative ways to
involve isolated schools in the outer islands without internet
connections.
The Seychelles
and the Maldives are taking the youth forum further by organising
an exchange visit
to gain direct experience of their respective islands and to develop
a joint Small Islands Voice project
In December
2003, an assessment of the youth forum
was conducted.
|
