'Youth on the Coast' video project to showcase ideas, hopes of young people
The Institute of Island Studies (IIS) at UPEI and the Mi'kmaq Confederacy of PEI are hosting a youth forum July 23-25 called ‘Youth on the Coast' that will educate and engage 40 young people who are interested in the ecology, culture, history and economy of coastal habitats and communities.
‘Youth on the Coast' will bring together young people from the Maritimes, Ontario, BC, and the USA, as well as students from other countries around the world. Young people from Hillsborough Helping Hands, Stratford Youth Can Do and the Native Council of PEI acted as advisors to forum coordinators and developed a lively and engaging weekend program.
The north shore of PEI will provide the backdrop-participants will spend time at the beach and village of South Rustico with the purpose of creating video messages about the opinions, needs and aspirations of youth who are living, or wanting to live and work, in coastal communities. These important messages will be shown at intervals during the Coastal Zone Canada 2010 conference, which runs from July 25-29 at UPEI.
‘Youth on the Coast' starts with a public welcoming ceremony at 12:30 pm, Friday, July 23 at Schurman Market Square, McDougall Hall, UPEI. Speakers will include Deputy Minister John MacQuarrie, PEI Department of Environment, Energy and Forestry, which is the main sponsor for the forum. Brandy Googoo of the Mi'kmaq Confederacy will welcome participants to Mi'kmaq territory and UPEI's new Vice President Academic Jim Randall, will welcome everyone to the campus.
The public is also invited to the forum's first session in lecture theatre 243, to hear presentations on a series of papers and view videos developed by some of the youth participants: young filmmaker Sarah Bood from New Brunswick will showcase her work on fisheries; Fogho Ikede will talk about a project he is involved in at the IIS, mapping values along the north shore of PEI; Jackie Kerry of the University of Moncton will talk about municipalities adapting to climate change; Mary Liston from University of Victoria and Tiffanie Rainville from Dalhousie University will each speak about how coastal communities in other parts of the world are preparing for climate change; and Alison Shott and Mitch O'Shea will show a video on the history of PEI's Southwest River, based on IIS research.
After the public seminar, the youth forum will proceed to South Rustico to work on their videos.
