Recover Guyana and the Ministry of Education have teamed up to launch the second edition of SHOUT, an initiative that seeks to inspire environmental passion and innovation among Grade Nine and 10 students in secondary schools across Guyana.
SHOUT aims to involve more young people in environmental action, encourage dialogue, and initiate improvements in school environments. It is supported by ExxonMobil Guyana.
During the launch event at the Ramada Georgetown Princess Hotel in Providence, East Bank Demerara, Assistant Chief Education Officer for Secondary, Sheldon Granville, highlighted the significance of providing a platform for children to develop awareness and solutions for addressing environmental challenges.
“We will see our students being able to think critically on their feet. We will see healthy competition. We will see the students’ abilities to use rhetoric and to use rhetoric skillfully. We will see a demonstration of the use of persuasive language, tone, and the ability to connect with the audience,” Granville added.
President of Recover Guyana, Dr Dave Lalltoo emphasised that SHOUT transcends traditional classroom learning, providing a dynamic and interactive platform that nurtures critical thinking, research, and public speaking skills, among participants.
He said, “SHOUT is more than a competition. It is a journey we embark on together. A journey towards a sustainable future, where every speech delivered is a seed planted for a greener tomorrow.”
In the initial phase, schools are encouraged to think ambitiously by creating one-minute videos that propose bold, sustainable changes within their environments, without being hindered by financial constraints.
Meanwhile, following a thorough evaluation, the top 30 schools will progress to present their environmental speeches, with 90 seconds allotted to convey their insights and solutions on a fixed topic.
The competition which commences on April 8, will be rolled out in four parts and culminates on World Environment Day on June 5, with the LIVE speech segment.
The winners will receive $3 million in cash and prizes including a cash grant of $500,000 for the winning school to kickstart their Environment Enhancement Project.
Other prizes include free fibre and internet service for one year, laptops, vouchers, and more.
World Environment Day is themed ‘Land Restoration, Desertification, and Drought Resilience.’
For more information about the competition, applicants can visit www.recoverguyana.org
British High Commissioner to Guyana, Jane Miller, Vice-President of Recover Guyana, Dr Latoya Gooding, Representative of ExxonMobil Guyana, Tenesha Lea Flores and other officials were also at the event. (DPI)