‘Wear My Shoes’ Award   |01 December 2023

The winning team in a souvenir photograph with guests

Mont Fleuri secondary among top five, wins US $5000

Mont Fleuri secondary school came out among the top five in an international award dubbed ‘Wear My Shoes’ and has won US $5000 as its reward. 

The ‘Wear My Shoes’ contest is in its third edition and its main aims are to mobilise children and adults to respond to the climate crisis and its impact on health, education, poverty, violence, justice and migration.

It recognises ongoing climate actions initiated and protected by children.

The Mont Fleuri secondary school had submitted a video to showcase all its efforts towards protecting the environment and making positive changes. 

A total of 70 countries participated in the competition and the other four winners are Columbia, Cameroon, Romania and India.

To celebrate this major achievement, the school organised a ceremony yesterday morning to recognise the students and teachers.

They each received a certificate for their active participation.

Sharon Frederic, one of the main supporters of the programme, shared that it all started when a team from Seychelles was asked to follow a training session in Indonesia on transformative teaching hosted by Arigatou International in partnership with Unesco.

Arigatou International works with people from diverse religious and cultural backgrounds to promote children’s rights and well-being at all levels, from the grassroots to the global level.

In late September, the trained teachers and trainers from Seychelles were informed about the ‘Wear My Shoes’ competition by the Director of Arigatou International, Maria Lucia. Mont Fleuri secondary was the only participant from Seychelles, shared Ms Frederic.

The objective of the competition was shared with the school facilitator, Sandrine Valentin, and the campaign was about mobilising students to respond to climate change.

“As for Mont Fleuri secondary, we already had an active eco-club engaging in such activities. The school submitted videos, reports, photographs and record of log activities. It is our first participation and we have been able to win this prestigious award among 70 countries,” shared Ms Frederic.

Head teacher, Nadia Marcel, was proud of her school’s performance. “I commend the teachers and the students who were heavily involved in this competition through the eco-club. Our school already uses recycled materials everywhere. The money received will be invested in future environmental projects,” said Ms Marcel.  

She added this was not the only project the school was working on as in August 2024, eight students will be accompanying students from French school for a familiarisation trip to France.

Erica Derjacques, senior education officer for Ethos and Culture, pointed out that this year’s competition has given them a deeper understanding of the global issues affecting everyone.

She added it was not just about recognising the problems but realising each person’s role in addressing them. “As learners we are part of the larger solution, advocating for change and taking meaningful action. Children who make up about one-third of the world’s population, are affected by climate-related decisions. In the face of global challenges like pandemics, conflicts and climate change, our role in fostering solidarity and empowering the most vulnerable sectors become paramount.”

During the ceremony, guests were able to view the winning video. Renowned local artist, Joe Samy, interpreted a song about the need to protect the environment, while the school’s choir also performed for the audience.

Among the guests were the National Assembly member for Mont Fleuri, Michel Roucou, representatives of the education ministry as well as private environment organisation, Parley Seychelles.

Vidya Gappy

Photos: Joena Meme