Celebrating International Voluntary Day in Mauritius: Trek and Youth Workshop

On the island of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean, the National Organising Committee of L’Escalier International City of Peace in close collaboration with the Omnicane Foundation jointly organised a trek and youth workshop on Saturday 5 December 2020 on the occasion of the International Volunteer Day. 

The participants already started arriving at the marketplace of the southern village of L’Escalier at 7.30 am. As more and more participants started gathering, at around 8 am, the National Organising Committee made up of Mr Dana Chengan (ex-President of MACOSS), Mr Seemadree Latchayya (PRO of Mauritius Telugu Maha Sabha), Mr Chelvin Ramsamy (Peace Ambassador), Mr Anand Bheeca and Mrs Rosemay Charles called together all the 90 participants, which comprise of a significant 75 youths, to give them instructions.

Mr Seemadree Latchayya thanked everyone for their commitment by being present and emphasised that participants should be walking in groups for the trek to avoid any risk of getting lost. Moreover, he directed the participants to be very careful while taking photos, including not to do so in dangerous places. Building upon his instructions, Mr Seemadree Latchayya added that youths should live up to the honour that the village of L’Escalier has been conferred as an International City of Peace, the first-ever and only one for Mauritius. He alluded to the many problems which youths are today facing in society. Building upon the latter’s speech, Peace Ambassador Mr Chelvin Ramsamy spoke of the second part of the day’s event: the youth workshop.

Mr Chelvin Ramsamy discussed that different topics shall be handed over to participants who shall be grouped in teams and the participants shall have the occasion to present their ideas. In a similar vein, Mr Dana Chengan, Mr Anand Bheeca and Mrs Rosemay Charles urged the participants to enjoy the day but by ensuring that discipline prevails at all times. Bottles of water and T-shirts were then donated to all participants who were furthermore encouraged to wear them in order to be able to easily identify them.

At 8.30 am, the participants moved to the two buses which departed for Le Bouchon. Once there, the members of the National Organising Committee, who acted as Team Leaders for the day, directed the participants to walk towards the final destination of Savinniah. While the participants walked through the coastal region and beaches for over two hours, they were able to stop to enjoy the natural environment and clean air of Mauritius while taking beautiful photos of themselves and their peers alike. They also passed through the sugar cane fields at different places and could relax on rocks while they felt tired. Places the participants were particularly interested in were Le Souffleur and Le Pont Naturel. 

Pont Naturel (Natural Bridge in English) is exactly what the name says. It is a volcanic rock formation of around 3 meters that looks like a man-made bridge but is in fact formed by natural processes. It’s a part of the cliff at Le Souffleur. Those participants who were brave enough crossed it, saw the waves hitting the rocks underneath and at times saw them passing over the bridge. This spot was another amazing point for beautiful photographs, the participants simply had to be patient while waiting for the waves to come. On the surface, the participants saw a lot of little holes through which sea water wnet making whistling sounds. The participants ought to have realised why this place is called Le Souffleur which means a blower in English.

At around 11 am, the participants reached Savinnah where some members of the National Organising Committee were already present since the morning to prepare some nice breakfasts for them. They were served water, juice and breads and were able to find shelter from the heat underneath filao trees. Subsequent to them having already eaten, the members of the National Organising Committee called everyone for the youth workshop. Mr Chelvin Ramsamy, Ms Ashwina Thakooree and Mr Kamalesh acted as resource persons sharing their knowledge on the economic, societal issues and environment topics respectively. Seven volunteers were then requested to come forward to act as Group Leaders for the seven groups. The other participants were then requested to join a group of their choice. The seven questions focused on: Economy, Environment, Law, Politics, Social Issues, Health and Sports. The groups were given around an hour to discuss among themselves with a Reporter and Speaker chosen for each group.

At around 12 pm, all groups gathered and the speaker for each group came forward one after another to present their ideas. While some abided by the 5 minutes allocated, others went slightly above the time limit. In the meantime, three members of the jury noted down their deliberations in view of choosing the best speaker and the best strategy/solution. After an hour of insightful presentations, the jury concluded that two speakers were ex-aequo as best speakers with similar number of marks while also pointing out that all teams were on par and unique as best strategy/solution. A round of applause was given to all the participants for their presence on the day.    

The vote of thanks was given by Mr Chelvin Ramsamy in favour of the Omnicane Foundation which has been the principal sponsor of the all the activities of the National Organising Committee of L’Escalier International City of Peace. He stressed that without the financial contribution of Omnicane Foundation, these activities would have not been possible. Hence, Mr Chelvin Ramsamy concluded that unlike other private companies across the world, Omnicane is one private company that invests significantly in the benefit and well-being of citizens.

National Organising Committee,

L’Escalier International City of Peace.