The Convention
On 15th June, the convention
kicked off on a hearty note with mayor of Lund welcoming all.
Two days were set aside for workshops and presentations by different delegations. Delegates of India 1
(our team’s official designation !) attended workshops on
negotiation skills, marketing strategies, Earth Charter, paying Eco bills etc. Aibanrihun, one
of the delegates of our team was selected to be trained as an
environmental journalist by the Reuters group. She is one of the 12 students
who will cover the IUCN regional conference in Amman, Jordan in October,
2000. The workshops were conducted by well-known personalities and the
participants found themselves deeply involved in very
interesting sessions followed by discussions.
On 16th June morning the King of Sweden officially inaugurated
the convention. The event was also marked by the Uniting Waters
Ceremony in which students brought water from the water bodies in their
respective countries and poured it from their country's traditional bowl
into a large glass bowl. Aditi from our group poured the Ganga
water collected from Uttarkashi from an earthen pot. Then one of
the delegates gave some of the water in a small bowl to the
King. This ceremony symbolised the shared concern of each country towards the water resources. It also symbolised the
coming together of different cultures, transcending all barriers as
delegates proudly stood together holding their national flags,
acknowledging the important role that they had to play in changing their society
and the world
that we all shared. Post lunch on the 16th, our team gave the
presentation of their project work. The presentation was
received well. People showed interest in the different ways of
waste disposal that we had suggested.
The presentations were followed by a
'knowledge café' in which different groups each having
delegates from different countries discussed matters concerning
society and implementation of PEMS. The conclusion that each
group drew was that education (formal and informal) was the
single most important requirement to implement PEMS or any kind
of change in society though the ways suggested by each group in
which this could be achieved were different. In the evening
while the teachers went for their workshops, the students went to a nearby disco. Here again
meeting people from completely different backgrounds on a very informal
and fun
filled platform was an amazing experience.
On the 17th of June everyone went to the Hoor municipality where
they were taken to the Skanes Djurpark which houses many animals belonging
to temperate climate. Chief Oren Lyons, a native Indian chief, gave
a speech in which he stressed the relationship between man and his
environment. He also asked the delegates to be happy and to enjoy life but at
the same time
to be responsible. Aibanrihun had the opportunity to interview
him later as a part of her training program. The evening was spent near
Vaxsjon lake where some delegates ventured into the water for a swim, while
others enjoyed and appreciated the picturesque view.
The fourth day was spent at the Viking Museum
where participants had a glimpse into the lifestyle of ancient Sweden during the time of the Vikings.
They were also taken to a recycling unit and shown how segregation of waste was
carried out in Sweden. It was interesting to note how efficiently
segregation could be carried out. After lunch an expert took
them on a nature walk along the Baltic Sea and explained the thriving eco-system of that area. The evening was
a colourful and entertaining affair as delegations presented their cultural
items. All 4 delegations from India gave a common presentation which started
with a solo classical dance performance followed by a patriotic song, folk
song, film song and ended with the Hindi and English version of 'We Shall
Overcome'. The performance was appreciated by many. Our team also put
'Mehendi'
on the hands of eager and excited students and teachers.
The final day began with all the delegates participating in one
of the sessions in the conference on Eco-efficiency at the Scania
Convention Center. This was followed by a trip to the Oresund Bridge that
connects Copenhagan to Malmo, which is due to open on the 1st of July.
They also had a look at the Oresund Exhibition Center near the bridge. In the
afternoon they were taken to the Eco Augustenborg and Ekostaden where they
attended workshops
on water harvesting, transportation, skating, music, etc. They
then returned to the hotel to prepare for the Young Masters' Graduation
Ceremony. The ceremony was held in the main hall of the Lund University where
the students were handed out their Young Master's Graduation certificates.
The grand finale was the traditional Swedish Midsummer Night
party, which was held in the Kulturen, a cultural museum in Lund. There was
also a dance session and an open-air rock concert by one of the local bands.
Delegates and teachers were seen running around trying to get everyone's
contact numbers and each one clicking photographs to keep the memories
of the 5 days that they were never ever going to forget in their lifetime. In
the end all the delegates held hands and sang "We are the World"
in unison, one could see in their eyes, the sadness of leaving the friends they had
made over the past few days, but with that there was the look of determination
on their faces that said a lot - that said that we will make a difference
because we want to make a difference.
Back
To Milestones Main Page
