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St. Lucia's Youth Tackle Environment Concerns
August 2003

By Barbara Jacobs-Small, CERN correspondent, St. Lucia

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St. Lucia is actively enlisting its youth to take a strong interest in major development issues, and especially in the sustainable use of the environment. The environment ministry has struck a relationship with the St. Lucia Chapter of the Caribbean Youth Environment Network (CYEN), as part of its efforts to build and maintain linkages with groups working on environmental issues and provide opportunities for the youth.

"We have this very complex interwoven network of concerns and we are trying to find that balance between our environment and development," says Chris Corbin, senior sustainable development and environmental officer at the ministry. "What has come to the fore is that the environment cannot be managed by just the government agencies alone."

The St. Lucia Chapter of CYEN is the newest arm of the regional network, which has members and affiliates in 15 countries, representing the French, Spanish and English-speaking Caribbean.

"The strengthening of organisations such as CYEN, through its St. Lucia Chapter, provides a very ideal and rare opportunity for government agencies such as the Department of Sustainable Development and Environment, to develop a functional working partnership with NGOs so that we can utilize them, not only in terms of assisting us in our own work as far as education and awareness are concerned, but also allowing them to be feedback mechanism," says Corbin.

The main aim of the St. Lucia Chapter of CYEN is to enlist Caribbean youth to take action on environmental and sustainable development issues. CYEN's membership comprises youth from all walks of life, including students.

The organisation has started an environmental education programme for teachers.

"We felt that transmitting this kind of education to the teachers would lead to some kind of sustainability where trained teachers go to schools, form clubs and sensitise the children,'' says Nelcha Charles, coordinator of the organisation. "That is one of our main ways of transmitting the information to the public."

World Environmental Day in June provided an opportunity for CYEN's St. Lucia Chapter to showcase itself. 2003 is International Year of Fresh Water. To mark the occasion, the organisation collaborated with the Caribbean Environmental Health Institute (CEHI)' which deals primarily with water safety and conservation, to sensitise households about water. The CEYN took part in exhibitions organised by CEHI. Its involvement, says Charles was to get the message to the public and students that water is essential.

She notes that the publics needs to know where our water comes from and how important it is to conserve water. Such knowledge leads to the realisation, says Charles, that "sometimes the way we do things in the environment can have an impact on the water supply."

Collaboration with community groups has been a successful approach to harnessing human resources in planning for and adequately responding to development issues such as sustainable environment use, says Corbin. A lot of efforts at the regional and international level have always emphasized such partnerships, he says. "You have to involve the youth in your discussion and in your policy making. It is more than lip service."

This article is based on a transcription of Island Beat Radio.

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