Eden Island welcomes young people |25 June 2009

This was reinforced at the recent Unesco Education for Sustainable Development World Conference in Bonn, Germany.

Involvement of local youths gives them the chance to learn about the impact of development on the environment, economy and their social lives.
 
However, opening the doors of development sites to the community or to our young people, especially those concerning tourism, is not common here.

More so when these projects are in the middle of their construction phase. Yet Eden Island has taken the initiative to invite a group of school children to see development taking place on this small reclaimed island.

At the beginning of the year, Eden Island agreed to sponsor educational resources as part of the Seychelles Sailing Cup Painting Competition. As part of their prize all winners, together with their art teachers, won a lunch and a tour of the island to see the different developments taking place there. It was a trip that was very much appreciated by teachers and students.

After a warm welcome by staff of the island, teachers and students were guided to the island’s restaurant where they were treated to a tasty lunch. This also gave them the chance to get to know each other as they all came from different schools, and two of them came all the way from Praslin.

After lunch, there was a presentation by Jo Syfret on the developments taking place there. Using the island’s “maquette” at the entrance, the children learned about the different types of construction taking place and the facilities being put in place for the residents to use, such as a gym and a small shop.

They also learned about the different job opportunities being offered by the development. To their surprise, they learned that a large group of Seychellois are employed on the island.

They also learned that as more construction is done, there will be more opportunities that will benefit the country economically and socially. The intensive rehabilitation of the island with local trees was impressive, and the continuous relocation of corals that might be affected by the development was also welcome news for the visitors.

After the briefing and answering of students’ questions, the group had a drive round the island to see the different types of building taking place and stopped from time to time to look at the facilities more closely.

They also had the chance to see inside the apartments and were impressed with what was being offered. Even the decorations in the apartments provided our local artists with a chance to showcase their artwork.
 
After an afternoon of discoveries and discussions, the students were invited to return in four to five months to see more changes that will have taken place. There were even teachers who expressed their wish to contribute something to the project, such as taking part in the beautification of the island.

It is hoped that more private development companies will follow this example and open up their doors to our young people, an important component of the sustainable development of a country.