Four Guyanese students, drawn from Queen’s College, St. Rose’s High, St. Stanislaus College and the New Amsterdam Multilateral School, are currently in Jamaica, participating in the Youth Climate Conference 2017, with support through the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in collaboration with the Office of Climate Change.
The Conference, which is being hosted by the Jamaica Rural Economy and Ecosystems Adapting to Climate change (Ja REEACH II) Project, in collaboration with the UNDP Japan Caribbean Climate Change Partnership (J-CCP) Project, runs from October 10-12, 2017 and caters to Caribbean youths as well as visiting Japanese youths in order to stimulate and facilitate the exchange of experiences between the countries.
During training, it is expected that there will be knowledge sharing and transfer among Caribbean countries and between Caribbean states and Japan, a Conference of Parties modelled event for youth across the Caribbean, break out-group sessions featuring practical and hands on exercise and site visits for regional and Japanese participants. The Conference is being guided by the overall goal of fostering an environment where Caribbean youth can grasp Climate Change concepts and are empowered to take action. Participating countries include Guyana, Jamaica, Japan, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Suriname.
The Conference is being held this year under the theme, “Our Climate, Our Voice, Our Change- Advancing Youth Action through Partnerships for Global Impact.” It is the first time Guyana is participating in a Youth conference of this nature, facilitated through the Office of Climate Change. It is one of a series of events, which are being planned and coordinated by the OCC to raise awareness on the effects of Climate Change and actions that can be taken to mitigate the effects.
The participants are the four top students of the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examinations (CAPE) Environmental Studies Unit I for 2017. They are Ms. Christine Rose Archer from the St. Roses High School, Ms. Aadilah Ali from Queens College Secondary School, Ms. Suphane Dash, St. Stanislaus College and Ms. Yevnie Sukra of the New Amsterdam Multilateral School.
The students, conducted a 12 minute presentation highlighting key challenges being experienced within their home country as a result of climate change. Upon their return, the students will be required to prepare a joint report on their experience for submission to the Ministry of Education (MoE) and the OCC.
Additionally, they may also be required to participate in a series of television programmes hosted by the OCC in collaboration with Caribbean Youth Environment Network (CYEN).
