Environmental Networking Platform for Children and Youth by SAMSUNG E&A
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Seychelles at COY11-Part one |
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It was a bone-chilling five degrees Celsius that greeted me when I landed in Paris in the wee hours of Thursday morning. And although I could not turn a blind eye to the breath taking view of the city of light from above, it was not what had drawn me here. The Conference Of Youth (COY11) was held at the Parc des Expositions of Villepinte, in Paris area from the 26th to the 28th November. Five thousand people from all over France and the world were expected for this monumental event that brought together young people of all ages, race, nationality and languages! As one of the youth representatives of Seychelles I was not prepared for the humbling experience that this three day event would bring. The conference was organised in such a way that at different times an event would be held in various rooms. These events could be anything from an organisation sensitizing the audience about an issue, an expert coming to give a talk or people from a country talking about their fight at home, always related to climate change of course . The first event I attended was hosted by an organisation called Sustaining all life- Ending destructive, oppressive policies. They focused on the importance of ending racism and classism to change how we think about climate change. It was truly an enlightening presentation made more poignant by an emotional testimony of one of their members who recounted how her community in Africa fought to defend their land from big developers. Some of the men of the village were even killed because they dared defend their heritage and the environment. It was then that I realised that in some places in the world protecting the environment is a matter of life or death. But should it have to be so ? Another marking event for me was one that I could easily identify to. Two girls from Bali founded an organisation called Bye bye plastic bags when they were still in school (in fact they still are) and were determined to ban them in Bali. Their story is an amazing one and it speaks of true courage and undiluted determination to achieve their aim. Two girls who with the help of family and friends got the government to agree to ban plastic bags by 2018.However they did not hide the hardships and even the lengths they had to go to get what they wanted, which included a hunger strike (inspired by Mahatma Ghandi) until they got a meeting with the governor. Extreme lengths indeed, but their actions are a much needed reminder of the capacity of humankind to do whatever it takes to find a solution to the problems we face today. Seychelles youth representatives could relate as the NGO I was representing at the COY11, SYAH-SEYCHELLES (a youth led NGO dedicated to achieving sustainable development in Seychelles) launched a Seychelles free from plastic bag campaign this year. And their story of success reminds us of how far we have to go but it has also given us a glimpse of what the fruits of success taste like. |
 
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3 Comments
Great work Lisa! Congratulations on representing your country at the COY11. I couldn't attend owing to school workload. Good to know of your NGO and best wishes with your work. I have great interest in Seychelles.
Posted 02-12-2015 07:31
Glad to know that you participated in COY11 as youth representative of Seychelles. Even I am sad to note that at some places protecting environment becomes a threat to one's life. Thanks for sharing an exemplary story of 2 Bali girls and their campaign to ban plastic. It's great that you and your group SYAH-SEYCHELLES also launched a 'Plastic free' campaign. All the best for this campaign and all your initiatives. Youth like you are an assurance to the entire world that better times are ahead.
Posted 01-12-2015 20:53
Wow. First of all Congrats on your selection to COY11. I'm very happy to see more Eco-generation members engaging in such global activism. Visit www.youthclimatereport.org and let me know v(joshua@youthclimatereport.org) if you're interested in being a reporter or country coordinator. Keep up the great work
Posted 01-12-2015 08:17