LEAD: LINKING ENVIRONMENTAL ACTION AND DEVELOPMENT
“We are the champions!”
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ature Seychelles recently initiated another fresh and enthralling program known as YES, an acronym for Young Environmentalists for Seychelles, which seeks to model young Seychellois into champions of conservation and environmental management. Some 13 Secondary School students from the schools in the main island of Mahe, who have shown exemplary leadership qualities and passion for the environment within the Wildlife Clubs of Seychelles (WCS), were selected to participate in this new venture. “These young people are our future environmental champions and we are preparing them for the challenges to come. The YES Initiative is meant to pass on the mantle of environmental leadership to Seychellois youth. YES is about getting young people actively engaged, revitalized and immersed in responsibility, leadership, initiative, and creativity on all matters pertaining to the environment.” Nature Seychelles’ CEO Nirmal Shah, asserts. The YES Initiative was borne out of Shah’s intrinsic attachment to the youth. It is instructive to note that Shah himself started very early in his boy-
hood as a naturalist and conservationist owing to the prodding of the father, Kantilal Shah. YES Initiative is a jointly supported undertaking bringing together Nature Seychelles, Wildlife Clubs of Seychelles and the Ministry of Education. The pioneering class of environmental champions came from English River, Point Larue, Mont Fleuri, Beau Vallon, Belonie, Anse Royale and Plaisance Secondary schools. The workshop keynote address and official opening was presided by a senior Ministry of Education official, Brenda Andimignon who is also the Vice chairperson of the Wildlife Clubs of Seychelles. Terence Vel who doubles up as Nature Seychelles’ Education and Advocacy Coordinator and Site Support and Social Marketing Coordinator respectively developed the YES curricula materials and implemented the workshop. “The YES Initiative is Nature Seychelles’ antidote to the new demands and strains of today’s young generation. The Initiative is aimed at illustrating and empowering our youth with responsible leadership at ages where
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