Social media is replete with congratulations for an outgoing and lucky Anguillian young man, Devon Carter, who has been selected to join other Latin American and Caribbean youngsters on a climate change trip to Europe.
Devon, Research Assistant with the Anguilla National Trust, and his colleagues, will spend two months on sea aboard the schooner Regina Maris and two months on land in Europe. The trip is called “Sail for Climate Action” and will commence from Cartegena, Colombia, on February 20. Not only will the sailing boat be pollution free but, among other things, will serve vegan meals to the travelling group rather than meat.
Devon’s participation, in what will no doubt be a memory experience for him, was officially announced at a press conference called by the Anguilla Social Security Board on Monday, February 10. The Board is one of four sponsors for Devon’s trip – the others being the Governor’s Office, the Department of Youth and Culture and the Anguilla National Youth Council. The trip costs over 8,000 US dollars.
Executive Director of the National Trust, Farah Mukida, put Devon’s perspective in the climate change project: “Just a few weeks ago, we heard about an opportunity for young people to engage in discussions, in Europe, related to climate change at the United Nations level. As part of this initiative, young people from the Caribbean, who are under-represented, were invited to participate in the pre-meeting discussions. With a very short turnover, Devon managed to apply and was accepted into the programme.”
She continued: “Because it is about climate change, and reducing carbon in the atmosphere, we don’t want to add to it – Devon and the others will be sailing from the Caribbean to Europe. This is a four-month long programme – two months at sea and two months engaging with communities and organisations across Europe. We are very excited that Devon is part of this initiative – I think the first of its kind. He will be joining other young people from across the Caribbean and South America. We are very proud that he has been selected; very proud to be able to support him; and we are grateful to all the organizations – Social Security, the Governor’s Office, Youth & Culture and the National Youth Council – for making this happen through their sponsorships.”
Commenting on his selection and participation, Devon told media representatives: “This is a way for me to express my views and, hopefully, to represent Anguilla the best I can in this climate change initiative. We will be going to the UN Climate Conference in Bonn, Germany, towards the beginning of June. But for the first two months we will be sailing and working together creating plans on how we will tackle our views about climate change. We will be going to some Caribbean islands for our climate change talks. In Europe, we will be visiting schools and different organisations. This is a great opportunity, and I am very thankful to all the sponsors who made my participation possible.”
Director of Social Security, Mr. Timothy Hodge, commented: “We needed persons like Devon as ambassadors bringing to the people of Anguilla, and our visitors, that we are serious about caring for our environment. We want Devon and the National Trust to work with – and we are very happy to be a sponsor for Devon’s participation. We wish him and his colleagues the very best.”
Meanwhile, a release from the Governor’s Office expressed support and delight for Devon’s trip, and repeated some of the activities in which he and his companions will be engaged in Germany. The release added that the UN Climate Change Conference there will be a preparatory meeting for an upcoming conference in December this year in Glasgow, Scotland.
