GS Port Louis Hub Newsletter Aug 2013 - Issue 1

7/30/2019 GS Port Louis Hub Newsletter Aug 2013 - Issue 1

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GLOBAL SHAPERS – PORT LOUIS HUB NEWSLETTER Issue # 1: August 2

Global Shapers

Community

Port Louis Hub PORT LOUIS HUB PARTNERS WITH LOCAL NGO ELI AFRICA FOR GLOBAL DIGNITY SESSIONS IN THIS ISSUE

1. AIMS Small IslandDeveloping StatesYouth RegionalPreparatory Meeting Seychelles 2013

2. Global Dignity Day

3. The Joys ofVolunteering

4. Peer MentoringWorkshop

5. Voyage within the HuReflections from aCurator

Hello world,

Welcome to the first issue of the Port Louis Hub’s monthly newsletter. This month has

been action-packed for the hub, with members being involved in several projects and

initiatives, locally and regionally. Administratively, the Hub has moved a lot: We have

held our Curator elections, have recruited four new members to our team and have

seen the implementation of several projects. Two of our hub members have

represented Mauritius at the Small Island Developing States Regional Youth

Preparatory meeting for the AIMS (Africa, Indian Ocean, Mediterranean and South

China Sea) region from 11 to 16 July 2013 in Mahé, Seychelles, after being selected by the

UNESCO.

This month has also seen the collaboration between the Port Louis Shapers and

International Organization, Global Dignity whereby we have held Anti-Bullying and

Global Dignity Working sessions across the Island. Another of our endeavours has been

to initiate our members to scuba diving. This was in preparation towards our

underwater and beach cleaning campaign scheduled in the coming few weeks.) Someof our members were also part of the organizing committee of a pre-regional

consultation process for youth on the issue of environmental protection and

sustainable development in Mauritius. Finally, we organized a Peer Mentoring

Workshop on the occasion of International Youth Day 2013, in collaboration with the

Mauritius Institute of Education. All in all, it was a brilliant month of collaboration,

leadership and sharing which we invite you to read more about!



GLOBAL SHAPERS – PORT LOUIS HUB NEWSLETTER | Issue # 1

SMALL ISLAND DEVELOPING STATES (SIDS) – AIMSREGIONAL MEETING IN SEYCHELLES – 11-16 JULY

2013

THE FUTURE WE WANT

The world is changing. In these uncertain times, it is no longer helpful to differentiate between developed nations and thosewho are struggling to keep abreast of the wave of social,financial and environmental transformations. As we findourselves at the centre of a global village, the destiny of eachcountry is inter-connected. The global financial crisis is a not-so-quiet reminder that big and small countries alike will suffer the perils of a rapidly evolving world. However, somecountries will bear the brunt of these changing times in amuch more tangible manner. This is the case of small islanddeveloping states (SIDS) which are vulnerable to the threats ofclimate change, economic ambivalence and soaringunemployment.

It is undeniable that the case of Small Island Developing States(SIDS) is special, atypical and unique. SIDS are low-lying coastalcountries that face a multitude of common challenges andcharacteristics such as growing population, susceptibility tonatural disasters (floods, droughts, tsunamis), limitedresources, excessive dependence on international trade, andfragile ecosystems. As such, the SIDS were recognized as adistinct group at the UN Conference on Environment andDevelopment in June 1992 in Rio. The Barbados Programme ofAction (BPOA) in 1994 identified sustainable development as a

holistic solution to the challenges of SIDS. The MauritiusStrategy, which was adopted in 2005, reinforced the status ofSIDS worldwide with its elaboration of a wide range of actionson natural and environmental disasters, coastal and marineresources, tourism resources, management of wastes, inter alia. The Report of the Rio+20 Summit in 2012 further reiterated the global community’s “commitment to take

urgent and concrete action to address the vulnerability of small

island developing States, including through the sustained

implementation of the Barbados Programme of Action and the

Mauritius Strategy.”

The Third International Conference on Small Island Developing

States will be held in Samoa in 2014 and consultations, mini-conferences, national and regional workshops are being heldaround the world throughout 2013. This year, the UNESCO hasgiven young people the chance to make their voices heard onthe issues of sustainable development and SIDS. Outcomedocuments have seen the light in three of the regions whichregroup SIDS, namely the Caribbean, the Pacific and the AIMS(Africa, Indian Ocean, Middle East, and South China Sea). 2 ofthe Port Louis Hub shapers, namely Krishnee Appadoo andKaruna Rana were selected by the UNESCO to representMauritius at the regional meeting of the AIMS region whichtook place from the 11-16th July in Seychelles. During the 5-day

workshop, they worked alongside other youth from the AIMregion, including Seychelles which hosted the event, ComoroMaldives, Guinea-Bissau, Cape Verde, and Rodrigues.

Through brainstorming sessions and envisioning exercises, oshapers, together with the other delegates of the AIMregion, identified the future we wanted and also teconomic, social and environmental issues which were barrie

to achieving a sustainable future. The opening ceremowitnessed an inspiring speech by the Minister of Environmeand Energy from Seychelles, Dr Rolph Payet, where the lattpresented the various environmental projects under the aegof his ministry, the most popular of which is the rainwatharvesting project implemented in schools across Seychelles

The issues which were identified by the youth of the AIMregion and which are common to all the countries are climachange, infrastructures and practices which do not suppoour ecosystems, management of wastes, as well as ocean ancoastal resources, food and energy security, youunemployment, outdated education system, and sexu

violence. The outcome document put forward an action plto tackle the issues and also made a fervent call to orespective governments to engage with the private sector ancivil society to implement projects in line with sustainabdevelopment. There was also a push for realizing thimportance of partnerships and collaboration. The AIMS SIDyouth advocated for more dialogue and interaction betweegovernments of SIDS and also advocated for thstrengthening of current networks. These proposals anrecommendations were presented to the region’s ministe

and policy-makers at the AIMS Preparatory Meeting from th17-19th July 2013. The top priority discussed by the you

representatives at the Preparatory Meeting was that theshould be a youth delegation representing the three SIDregions at the Third International Conference on Small IslanDeveloping States in Samoa in 2014.

Krishnee Appadoo and Karuna Rana




ANTI-BULLYING & GLOBAL DIGNITY PROJECT 2013

Port Louis Shaper Anishah, is the Country Chair for the Global

Dignity project which was started by Crown Prince Haakon of

Norway, Pekka Himannen and John Hope. As a victim of bullying,

she gives some insight into the issue, showing how sensitive and

pervasive it can be and what she is now doing to address it.

We have finally held our much awaited Global Dignity and Anti-Bullying Working Sessions in the past few weeks with thechildren of ELI Africa and the children and young mothers ofSOS Village Mauritius.

ELI Africa seeks to prepare students for the future withoutresorting to rote memorization or repetition. The projects ofELI Africa primarily involve working with underprivilegedschoolchildren from our centers and teaching classes invarious education areas such as health and fitness, arts,creative writing and theatre, among others.

On the other hand, SOS Village Mauritius is a leading child careNon-Governmental Organization which provides long-termcare to needy children. Their target group consists of children

who have lost parental care and those who are at risk

abandonment or whose basic rights are not being fulfilled.

Our working sessions with ELI Africa was our first session anfirst major Hub Project so we were all a bit apprehensive bexcited to see the outcome. The main questions that wegoing through my head were: How are the students going react? Am I going to be able to get through to them? Will thunderstand the impact of bullying?

I was pleasantly surprised to say the least with the outcomMy Shapers came through themselves with several storiabout how they had been bullied because of where they cam

from or what they had done. The most fascinating one for mwas from a fellow shaper who came forward and admitted hhad bullied others when he was a child. To me that was yanother step forward in our project for he had felt not just ease but confident enough to tell us about his side of thstory.

This enabled quite a lot of students to come forward with thelittle stories. One story that particular touched me and thother shapers from was little A, who was only 8 years old. Hwanted to know what he could do to avoid his youngbrother and himself to be bullied by other students. The hea




to-heart session we had with him not only brought me closer to knowing that our initiative was taking shape but even moredetermined to make bullying stop on all levels.

The 2nd GD Session was done with around 80 people whichwas indeed quite the challenge for us Shapers but with a littlebit of team work and a lot of determination, we managed toget through to the students. The social workers of SOS Village

had already informed us of the difficulty we might comeacross with their students given their difficult backgrounds.

Needless to say that it did take us a lot of our energy to getthrough to the students and most importantly to catch their attention on the goals we wanted to achieve, i.e., createawareness on anti-bullying and global dignity. With SOSVillage, the most memorable part was the interactive segmentwe had: We had split the group in 4 and they all had to comeup with what dignity meant to them and how did they thinkthat dignity could not be respected.

I was quite surprised to hear from one group who thoughtthat they did not deserve to be treated well because they hadnot done it in return. The working groups allowed me to havea better perspective and cause of bullying.

1st GD session: Anishah and Trisha displaying a cue sheet

These two sessions have been eye-opening experiences for

me and for all the Shapers. Before launching this project, I hadnever talked about how I was bullied and the toll it had on me. Coming out and telling strangers about it made me evenstronger and even more determined that bullying should notbe part of this society. It is up to us young leaders to lead theway in this modern society and to promote Dignity & Respectwhich still remain pillars of the society.

Alongside the Shapers, we do intend to hold further dignitysessions with young professionals and college students in thenear future. We are also looking forward to doing our firstmajor event for Global Dignity Day 2013. The next few months

will be challenging but it will be worth it. And As John HopBryant, one of the co-founding partners of Global Dignitrightly pointed out: “No Good Thing Comes Easy.”

Stay tuned!

Anishah Aujayeb

SHAPER INSIGHT: THE JOYS OF

VOLUNTEERING

Being a volunteer is akin to a roller-coaster ride. You nev

know when your heart is going to stop but you enjoy the thall the same. Before joining the Port Louis Hub and ELI Afri

(an NGO I now work for on a voluntary basis), I had nev

really done proper volunteering. I used to watch with a mix

awe and admiration as some of my friends would give thetime and effort to a selfless cause, wondering whether I had

in me to do the same and follow in their footsteps.

With hindsight, I believe that I should never have hesitated

jump headfirst into volunteering. True, it is a real challenge an

the road can be tough and daunting, littered with windipassages. But it is also hugely satisfying despite the testi

times and moments of doubt and deep frustration.

For those who have not yet joined the band-wagon of volunte

work, please do so! Life is too short to wait before doing t

right thing or starting something you’ve always dreamt of doin

Take the first step forward; the miracles of faith and hope sh

take care of the rest!!!

Krishnee Appadoo




PEER MENTORING WORKSHOP ON THE OCCASIONOF INTERNATIONAL YOUTH DAY 2013

The Shapers of the Port Louis Hub were excited to dosomething on the occasion of International Youth Day 2013.After brainstorming sessions, and many bright ideas fromShapers, the vote was cast to hold a Peer MentoringWorkshop on Employability Skills. We are very concerned withthe toll of the global economic crisis on young people,especially with regards to rising unemployment. As youngleaders, we were very keen to share our skills and tips toyoung people who just needed a little extra push to find thatperfect job or opportunity. The Mauritius Institute ofEducation kindly offered a large classroom for holding our workshop and a huge word of gratitude goes out to them.

The workshop started at 4.30pm and Krishnee gave a shortintroduction on the Global Shapers Community, and alsoexplained the aim of holding such a session for young people.Presentations were given on CV Writing skills, how to avoidgaps in CVs, improving one’s Self-Esteem, preparing for Interview, Volunteering Opportunities, Gap Years, Rights ofYoung People and Employees and also Networking.

The Shapers present were Karuna, Shabbir, Anishah, Barkha,and Krishnee. Shabbir have an excellent presentation onInterview Preparation and Improving one’s Self-Esteem anddrew extensively on his experience in the field of Psychology.Karuna gave a brilliant talk on ways of avoiding Gaps in CVsand also used her personal experience to encourage theyoung people present to be positive in the face of adversity.She advocated volunteering as a powerful tool which could beused to gain new skills, network effectively and also avoidgaps in CVs.

Krishnee provided a useful guide on CV Writing and stressedthe fact that there was no right or wrong way of writing CVsbut encouraged the audience to respect certain guiding

principles such as the appropriate length of CVs, use of catcheadings, proof reading, and also creating a CV which relevant to the specific job application. Anishah gave overview of employee and young people’s rights, highlightiimportant points such as working hours, discrimination in thworkplace, and employment contracts. It was a very usefpresentation as everyone got to better understand their righand duties as employees.

Barkha talked about networking skills and talked about hexperience at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2013, where the interest shown by high profile people hearing young people’s positions was an eye-opener, leadiher to boldly approach people on topics ranging from climachange to poverty.

She encouraged young people to have a very brintroduction about themselves ready so that they could startconversation with much more ease and confidence. She alstressed that in a workshop or conference, it was moeffective to talk to a select number of people instead of tryin

to speak to too many people in one day. She also advised thit was very important to contact these people by the end the night, so that the latter still remember the conversation the day and can be useful in any way possible, either provide funding for a project, advise on career prospects referral for a job. She also stressed that it was key to know thname of the person you are going to engage conversatiowith and also to show a real interest in that person

achievements. As for Karuna, she encouraged the younpeople to be ‘Politely shameless’ during networking events as not to lose the chance to meet and talk to the right people

The Peer Mentoring Workshop, which was a test-run ahead a bigger workshop which will be organised in Novembeproved to be a success and the attendees were grateful fthe tips and advice received. The Shapers of the Port LouHub are currently finalizing a toolkit on employability skiwhich will be distributed to the attendees. We are alsworking on a Mentoring Scheme, where mentees will ballocated mentors and where the latter can help them writing CVs, networking, preparing for interviews and algenerally seeking guidance as to career paths. We hope hold a bigger Peer Mentoring Workshop at national level in thfuture.

Krishnee Appadoo




Curator Elections and Shaper Inductions. Clockwise from top

left: Nawshin (existing Shaper), Shabbir, Krishnee, Trisha

(new Shapers), Nishan (Founding Curator), Barkha (Curator

2013), Anishah (vice Curator 2013)

VOYAGE WITH THE HUB: REFLECTIONS FROM ACURATOR

Our curator, Barkha Mossae comments on her experience

Curator of the Port Louis Hub and her recent attendance to t Annual Curators Meeting 2013 in Geneva.

Strategy and Fun

Two buzzwords which I carry with me this week, and whichwill continue to carry for the coming ten months until I pass othe title of Curator to another Shaper who will, in aprobability, be as excited, nervous, and a little bit lost as I wtwo months ago when I assumed the role of Curator of thPort Louis Hub. This article is a very honest reflection of mpast couple of months as a Curator, the Curator elections, anthe Annual Curators’ Meeting ACM13 which took place Geneva between 17 and 20 August 2013.

Curator Elections

The Port Louis Hub’s first Curator elections took place on

June 2013. Let me make a short flashback to my first step int




the Global Shapers Community, which was when I was invited(read: tactfully interviewed) by the Founding Curator and YGLNishan Degnarain to reflect upon what I’d do if I had a magic

wand to change the world. This is something I still,continuously, think about, but which ultimately helped clarifythe guiding thread for a Shaper: to create local impact withrippling effects through innovative thinking and limitedresources, to challenge the design of the status quo, to

develop sophistication and simplicity in solutions.

Following the Founding Curator’s lead meant that I as Curator,and the Hub, had a tall order to maintain. It was thereforeterribly exciting to see the Hub grow; new Shapers engageavidly with ideas and projects, and some of the collectivepurpose starting to emerge. This purpose was further clarifiedat the ACM13.

Annual Curators’ Meeting – ACM13 – finding the rhythm So – strategy and fun, what’s all that about? Last week, I found

myself in the company of over 150 competent young leaders,

the Curators of Hubs all over the world, at the AnnualCurators’ Meeting. And Strategy and Fun were actually

keywords at the Annual Curators’ Meeting in Geneva. Aptly,

the theme of ACM13 was “finding the rhythm’: picking the

momentum generated since the inception of the GlobalShapers Community, and clarifying the blurry outlines of thepurpose of the Community.

Combining work and play, it became irrevocably clear that thebrand ‘Global Shapers’ was to be synonymous with impact and

responsibility. The brand had to be substantiated – continuously – through the action and dedication of each andevery person who bore it – each and every Shaper from each

and every Hub. The onus was therefore on each Curator tocreate an enabling environment, but it dawned upon me thatthe spirit of Community was fully present.. Each Curator couldrely on each other for support – and so could each Shaper.

It is now my hope to see the Port Louis Hub grow, andcompete not with other Hubs to become a ‘Strong Hub’, but

with itself, to continuously improve itself, not only as acollective, but where each Shaper finds a purpose in self-improvement. And this said, we are ready to strengthen our ties in the Community – with other Hubs, and work together to improve the state of the world.

Barkha Mossae

Port Louis Hub Upcoming Events:

From Grumpy Cat to revolutions: Youth and

Technology Webinar Series

How important is art, expression and design to the

development of a country? And what is the role oftechnology in developing the capacity of youth to

express themselves? We will explore the question oyouth, technology and expression through our

upcoming Webinar in partnership with Microsoft o

18 September 2013. Stay updated onhttps://www.facebook.com/portlouishub for more

details on the time and login link!

Marine Debris Dive Clean-Up

In September, the Port Louis Hub will carry out adive-and-beach clean-up session. If you are in

Mauritius and interested in giving a helping hand, dro

us a word!

Shapers RecruitmentWatch out for our upcoming Autumn Recruitmentcycle, which begins in the last week of September!

You can alternatively express your interest in joininthe Shapers Community through:

http://www.globalshapers.org/apply

Contact us on: portlouishub@gmai

Our page: http://www.globalshapers.org/hubs/port

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/portlou

Youtube: http://goo.gl/S2

Newsletter prepared by Krishnee A

https://www.facebook.com/portlouishub




mailto:[email protected]


http://www.globalshapers.org/hubs/port-louis




http://goo.gl/S2vzZT








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GS Port Louis Hub Newsletter Aug 2013 - Issue 1

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