The SIDS Youth AIMS Hub in Mauritius

The SIDS Youth AIMS Hub – Seychelles supported by the British High Commission and the Commonwealth Youth Councilare launched a new and exciting initiative entitled “Prosperity & Environment: promoting sustainable development opportunities for youth in the Blue Economy”. 

15 selected youth came to Mauritius for a one week fully-funded trip where the Seychellois got the opportunity to learn about the different aspects of the ocean-based economy there with visits to ocean conservation NGOs such as Eco-Sud, WISEOCEANS, the National Oceanographic Institute, the Faculty on Oceans of the University of Seychelles, and the SIDS Youth AIMS Hub – Mauritius. The program caters for both youth interested in job opportunities and young entrepreneurs. At the end of this program the participants are expected to produce guidelines for the organisations they attended on how to attract more young people to their organisations and the Blue Economy. The participants who opt for the entrepreneurship strand will be offered workshops on access to finance and business models, mentorship from seasoned businessmen and will have to identify the gaps that can be remedied with a business idea.

The lead coordinator of the Program, Kalsey Belle argues that aside from learning about the diversity of career options available in the Blue Economy through internships in local organizations in Seychelles, the exchange trip to Mauritius also enabled Seychellois youth to become aware, explore and be inspired by the variety of methods/mechanisms that are being used regionally to sustainably develop the ocean. “The project has given Seychellois youth the opportunity to broaden their horizons by learning about the ocean economy in Seychelles and Mauritius, as well as allow them to grow from interns to Blue Economy Ambassadors by meeting and exchanging ideas with remarkable Mauritian youth. We want the youth from all SIDS to be able to benefit from such a life-changing experience and are creating a toolkit to allow this project be replicated in Mauritius and other SIDS. The Mauritian youth we encountered are already very much interested to participate. Perhaps next year we shall be welcoming Mauritian Blue Economy Ambassadors to Seychelles,” he adds. 

Laura Montano: “There is lack of awareness on blue economy” 

Aged 17, Laura Montano is the Blue Economy ambassador and believes that the visit to Mauritius has been very insightful. “Although both Seychelles and Mauritius make use of our ocean economically, I have found that Seychelles is more sustainable. I strongly feel this is due to the lack of awareness on the topic. What we fail to understand is that the long-term benefits of preserving our ocean are a lot more worthwhile than the short-term benefits of exploiting it. It is crucial to realize that as SIDS the ocean without us will thrive but without the ocean, we will die.”

Ryan Dewea: “Both countries vary in their approach” 

21-year old Ryan states that he has learned so much about blue economy concept. “The blue economy concept is not quite so different between Seychelles and Mauritius, the difference is that this concept in both countries is the way it is carried out.  In Mauritius it is more towards the scientific side and in Seychelles it’s about finding new ways to sustainably exploit the resources available in the ocean that we both share. For instance the MOI is currently in the process of conducting a research with sponges from the sea to try curing cancer. Who would have thought that such a thing could be possible? However, Seychelles is in the process of finding implementing a project for aquaculture, which would help with the amount of fish taken from the ocean. This project is more in line to giving back to the ocean, as in some way it may prevent overfishing if the project turns out to be a success.”

Sarah Purvis: “Mauritius is much more advanced” 

Sarah, 16, says that the visit to Mauritius has been very interesting. “We visited different institutions and NGO's such as the University of Mauritius, Wise Oceans, Indian Ocean Commission, Indian Ocean Rim Association and Reef Conservation to name a few. Mauritius is much more advanced in terms of scientific research with ocean resources such as developments of a cure for a type of cancer at the Mauritius Institute of Oceanography.  However Seychelles has much more awareness amongst the population towards the protection of our environment and sea which is understandable given our smaller population. Finance is a problem that is clearly faced in both Mauritius and the Seychelles despite the fact that Seychelles has much more governmental involvement and support than our neighboring countries such as Mauritius. The visit to Mauritius was eye-opening and it helped me to better appreciate what I already have. The Mauritian youth should also come and visit the Seychelles and together we can learn from each other and make a major difference!”