Blue Economy Internship Programme SYAH-Seychelles organises mangrove planting and snorkelling adventure |06 January 2020
The mangrove planting activity in full swing (Photo source: SYAH-Seychelles)
As part of the 4th Blue Economy Internship Programme (BEIP), SYAH-Seychelles in collaboration with the Wildlife Club of Seychelles, organised a mangrove planting and snorkelling activity.
The full-day event was held on December 28, 2019 at the mangrove forests within the UniSey campus and the Anse Royale Fun Park.
SYAH-Seychelles’ Blue Economy Internship Programme allows youth aged between 15 to 30 years old to undertake a two-week internship in one of fourteen local organisations operating in the Blue Economy sector in Seychelles. Since 2016, the programme, which runs annually, has enabled over 100 youths to obtain work experience. The 2019 programme is being supported by SEYCCAT and Echebastar.
The mangrove planting and snorkelling activity is one component of the 4th Blue Economy Internship Programme. The activity allows the interns to learn about the importance of corals and mangrove ecosystems while also providing a platform for the interns to interact and exchange ideas with like-minded youth.
To kick off the activity, the chairman of the Wildlife Club of Seychelles, Terence Vel, made a presentation to the participants on the mangrove ecosystem and how to identify the seven different species of mangroves found in Seychelles.
This was followed by the planting of over 50 mangrove seedlings.
After a short break, the interns geared up for snorkelling at Anse Royale beach.
Amy Joubert, an intern based at the Seychelles Bureau of Standards, commented: “It was an activity that brought us as young enthusiasts sharing a common interest for the environment together to make a positive contribution towards the sustainability of the ocean and its environment.”
Kalsey Belle, one of the project coordinators of the Blue Economy Internship Programme, shared the following sentiment: “In previous editions, we found that despite their keen interest in the Blue Economy, many of our interns had not had the opportunity to snorkel. Hence, as interns have limited opportunity to interact among one another as they are scattered across different organisations during their work attachment, we thought that organising a mangrove planting and snorkelling activity would be a great team building activity while also allowing interns to appreciate and learn about the ocean’s ecosystem.”
Having completed their work placements, the interns are currently working on an assignment which comprises either a project or business proposal linked to the Blue Economy. They will submit and present their ideas at the closing ceremony of the programme early February 2020.
Contributed by SYAH-Seychelles
