Youth hostel rewards old-timers on 15th anniversary |17 April 2014

Staff members who have been with the Anse Royale youth hostel for more than five years were rewarded recently during a ceremony to mark the institution’s 15th anniversary.
The longest serving staff, Evaline Jeannevole who has clocked 15 years, received a training offered by management as well as a certificate.

The others who were rewarded for their long years of service are Lorette Philo, Gilbert Adelaide, Jean Claude Samson and Gabriel Cafrine (all with 14 years), David Barbe (13 years), Vincent Marie (eight years), Roc Madeleine and Sheila Marguerite (both with five years).

Mrs Jeannevole said working at the hostel is a very demanding job which requires the workers to have good communication skills and know how to deal with the adolescents.

She added they were lucky that there have not been many incidents where students get warnings and parents have to be called, especially since it would be costly for parents to travel to Mahé.  
Although many students expressed the need for a washing machine, the general view is that the hostel is a great place to live in.

Student Anand Paunikar said that the atmosphere is very friendly and living on their own helps them to mature, learn how to budget, as well as gives them the opportunity to socialise and make lifelong friends.

“It is a great way to gain life skills before truly starting a fully independent life,” she noted.
It costs R160 for anyone who would like to stay for the night at the hostel and this service is mostly used by parents from Praslin and La Digue.

Among guests at the 15th anniversary ceremony were members of the National Assembly for Baie Ste Anne and Grand Anse Praslin, respectively Natasha Esther and Marc Volcère, as well as the hostel’s director Roger Alphonse.

Also during the ceremony, Mr Alphonse received two cakes from the students as a token of their appreciation and in celebration of the 15th anniversary.

The youth hostel was set up in 1999 thanks to a donation by the Chinese government. It caters mostly to students from the inner islands in need of accommodation while pursuing their post-secondary education on Mahé.

Although the hostel has a capacity for 192 students, only 152 are currently living there. Staff members make use of two units comprising eight rooms as their own office space.  
During the past 14 years, more than 1200 students have been accommodated at the hostel.
The hostel has 96 rooms, with two students sharing a room.

The boys’ and girls’ dormitories are separated although the students are allowed to visit one another until 7:30pm, at which point they must be back in their respective rooms.
The students are allowed to leave for the weekend with their parents’ permission.

Although the hostel caters mainly for students from the inner islands, those from Mahé can also stay there on recommendation of the social services. This applies mainly to students who are orphaned or with family issues.

MNA Volcère said that the government will make sure recreational areas and other facilities are built to ensure the comfort of the students, helping them to be more focused in their studies.
He has also urged the business community from the inner islands to contribute in any way they can to the education and comfort of the students.