Stand up and act upon climate change!
In 2006, the British Council
began the ‘Climate Change Champions’ scheme to select young champions
from 13 countries (three from each), representing the G8+5. The
project’s aim is to allow youth ambassadors to spread awareness about
climate change’s effects and mitigation solutions in their own
communities.
 In Sri Lanka, the British Council is calling for International
Climate Change (ICC) Champions to enlighten their friends, family and
peers in a bid to take the hot topic head on. This time the British
Council is inviting Climate Change Champions in the Maldives so that our
neighbours can also join together to make it a better place by adapting
to and mitigating climate change. Let’s learn from the examples from
last year’s ICC champions.
Rochelle Van Dort
Last year’s Climate Change winner, Rochelle Van Dort is making her
‘Grow a Green Barrier Campaign’ a successful one. Hailing from the
coastal town of Negombo, she has been working and educating school
children and youth to help in planting mangroves to make a natural
barrier as a mitigation strategy against climate change and to maintain
a sustainable ecosystem.
In ordering to raise awareness among the students and local community
Rochelle, a management student at the National Institute of Business
Management, has partnered with the Lions Club and NARA on her project
and likes working with the youth. She even visited Scotland to
participate in a project-planning workshop.
Navoda Mihiraj
Runner up last year, Navoda Mihiraj went in for a small scale
reforestation program together with all the schools in Galle winning the
‘best champion project plan’ title at the International Climate
Champions. A student of the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Ruhuna,
Navoda studies Agricultural Engineering. He has had the chance to attend
both ICC camps held in Mukteshwar and Nilgiris and has conducted small
scale composting projects in the Elpitiya region.
Ashrifa Ali
 Ashrifa is an ICC champion very committed to her cause being very
successful and creative too. She studies Biotechnology at Spectrum
Institute, which gave her the chance to recruit a ‘Green Army’ to help
her carry out her project. Ashrifa was given the opportunity to visit
Copenhagen and now writes for a nature column. She has conducted walks,
house-to-house campaigns and awareness-raising seminars.
Keren Sadanandan
Keren is the youngest of the 2009 champions championing a cause at
her school Stafford International School where she founded an
Eco-Friendly Society with her peers to start taking action to combat
climate change. Keren has an interest in photography and has worked
mainly in school to raise awareness to start recycling initiatives in
partnership with the SLYP. She attended a project-management workshop in
Chennai last year.
Climate change is everyone’s responsibility after all so protect
Mother Nature and be a climate change champion now! Good luck! Check
http://www.britishcouncil.org/srilanka-projects-icc-2010.htm for more
information. |
