65 Young Reporters for the Environment, originating from 10 different countries, got the opportunity to meet together in Stockholm, Sweden between 23 and 27 January to participate in an educational mission focusing on sustainable development. Eight of them were Maltese; and all the participants (from Malta, Romania, Montenegro, Slovakia, Canada, France, Germany, Kazakhstan, Latvia and FYR Macedonia) had done well last year in the YRE litter less campaign.
Throughout the experience students enjoyed a number of inspirational speeches by hosts which varied from Regional Waste Company representatives, Ecological magazine editors and motivational companies’ representatives. The talks instilled passion and conveyed the possibility of developing the potential within each of the students as future environmentalists and journalists.
The main focus of the mission was a practical session which started with informative sessions on article, video and photojournalism, and continued with practical reporting on themes related to sustainable development. Ten different groups worked on various themes such as waste produced by fast food outlets, packaging waste or the value of tap water vs bottled water, and investigations included interviews with people on the streets, dialogues with outlet managers and contacts with people concerned. Groups were composed of students from all four corners of the world and the end results were exhibited on the last day.
The experience included also appreciation of Sweden, with a visit to the Museum of Photography on Friday and a visit to Skansen on Sunday - the world’s first open air museum, founded in 1891. Other activities included the screening of an interesting story about the production of bananas, which conveyed a message true to the aim of the YRE.
Apart from the actual experience, this opportunity was an invaluable hub for networking, and some of the Maltese students are now considering producing joint projects with foreign students for this year’s campaign.
The Maltese students, from various schools and colleges (St Margaret College GSS Zejtun, St Nicholas College GSS Rabat, The Archbishop’s Seminary School, Rabat, Our Lady Immaculate School, Hamrun,Gozo College and Zejtun Eco Centre), were accompanied by the Audrey Gauci, YRE National Coordinator and two local EkoSkola teachers.
YRE is an international programme, run by FEE (Foundation for Environment Education) and represented locally by Nature Trust Malta. It encourages secondary and post-secondary students to carry out investigations on local environmental issues and propose solutions through reporting, videos and photojournalism. This opportunity was possible through the Litter Less Campaign, which is running this year too. Schools and students that wish to participate may apply through the local websitewww.yremalta.org or contact YRE Malta on [email protected].
Martina Mifsud is a Young Reporter for the Environment from St Aloysius’ College