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Winners of Sids contest rewarded |22 August 2014

To celebrate the year of Small Islands Developing States (Sids), the Ministry of Environment and Energy in collaboration with the Ministry of Education launched a competition for school children.

Many schools took part in the six competitions which took the forms of letter, poem, art work, song, exhibition and video.

Winners of the competition were rewarded in a ceremony held yesterday at the National Library in the presence of the Minister for Environment and Energy Professor Rolph Payet; Minister for Finance, Trade and Investment Pierre Laporte; Minister for Education Macsuzy Mondon; principal secretaries; teachers and guests.

During the ceremony guests had a chance to listen to the winning songs, poems and letters.

The competition’s theme was ‘My island, my home’.

“This year has been declared as the International Year of Small Island Developing States with the aim of promoting the achievement of sustainable development of Sids. It is also an opportunity for island nations, such as the Seychelles, to promote awareness of Sids. This is crucial especially for our younger generation who with new and fast development in global technology tend to lose track of island sustainable lifestyles and values,” said Prof. Payet while addressing the guests.

Giving his views on the work done by the students, Prof. Payet said: “The poems, art and songs have encouraged our children to value the natural and cultural heritage of our islands. But the exhibition has a more far-reaching impact than expected. Students, teachers and even their parents have joined forces to learn about the geography, economy, history, culture and pertinent challenges of islands around the globe. Some went as far as learning the greeting languages, try to cook their special dishes, dance their traditional dances, dress like little Samoan and Bahamians, paint themselves beautifully like the people of Papua New Guinea, wear decorative headdresses like the Kiribati would wear in special traditional occasions, create three dimensional maps of many Sids, and some expressed with sadness the threat of rising seas to the islands they have learnt to love and share over several months of research.”

He took the opportunity to thank all the students, teachers and schools who devoted their time to take part in the competition.

“On behalf of the Ministry of Environment and Energy, I would like to thank all those who have partnered with us on this adventure to discover and celebrate Sids. Congratulations to all winners and I wish you all the best in the upcoming competitions. Also note that most of the work you did so far will be displayed in brochures and banners at the Sids conference which will be held in Samao next month where leaders of all Sids will be meeting,” he added.

For the poem competition the winners received a certificate, cash prize and a book sponsored by the Ministry of Education. Stecey Marie from Takamaka school won the primary category; the secondary category was won by Cloé Vidot from Belonie school and Jean Luc Adrienne from the School of Advanced Level Studies (Sals) won for the post secondary category.

Winners in the letter writing competition had expressed their aspirations for 2020 as young people of Sids, addressed to Ban Ki Moon, the secretary general of the United Nations. Winners received a certificate, cash prize and a book sponsored by the Ministry of Education. Maia Khan from Independent School won the primary category; Sonam Tsultrim from Anse Boileau won the secondary category while Anthea Lawrence from Sals won the post secondary category.

Using their artistic skills students were required to interpret their experiences in line with the theme in the art work competition. The winners were Nora Phare from Takamaka primary school and Amy Fanchette from Beau Vallon secondary school. They both received a certificate, cash prize and a book sponsored by the Ministry of Education.

In the video competition there were only five entries -- two from primary and three from secondary schools. It was Amy Noel from Bel Ombre primary school who won in her category while Maryssa Samedi was the winner in the secondary category. They both received a certificate, cash prize and a book sponsored by the Ministry of Education.

It was the Ministry of Environment and Energy who sponsored prizes for the song competition. The winners received a certificate, cash prize and a book. Only the primary schools entered this competition and it was Mont Fleuri who won this competition with their song titled ‘Mon Pti Zil’.

For the exhibition competition schools chose a Sids and conducted research to collect background information on several topics namely history, environment, education, population, traditions and cultures, among others. The winners received a certificate, cash prize and a book sponsored by the Ministry of Environment and Energy. Only primary and secondary schools entered this competition and the winners were Anse Royale primary representing Samoa islands and the English River secondary representing the Pacific islands of Kiribati.

Speaking to Seychelles Nation, Jean Luc Adrienne, the winner of the poem competition in the post secondary category, said: “I believe there should be more such competitions so that we the youth can take part and raise awareness among our colleagues and friends who are ignoring the fact that we need to protect our islands. I feel very happy to be a winner today and I hope that through my poem I can make a difference.”

 

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