100 days before the Commonwealth Games begin 300 talented young writers from across the Commonwealth will gather in Glasgow to take part in an International Young Journalists Conference, as part of the Glasgow 2014 Cultural Programme.
There will be 2 participants from Mauritius – Seema Bachoo from Sodnac SSS and Darshanah Mariamootoo from Dr Maurice Curé State College. Dr the Honourable V. K Bunwaree, Minister of Education and Human Resources will bid farewell to the Mauritian participants and present their flight tickets to Glasgow on Wednesday 9 April at 09:00 at MITD.
Seema is the winner and Darshanah the runner-up of the 2014 Young Journalist Competition. Each year this creative writing competition is organised by the Ministry of Education and Human Resources in partnership with the British Council and Le Matinal newspaper.
This year more than 1,800 students took part in this competition. They were asked to write a 750 word article on the theme of ‘Who is the hero that inspires you to achieve?
Seema, a wheelchair user, selected as her hero Stephen Hawking the world famous physicist who is also disabled. Seema says:
‘This iconic hero proved to the world that we, disabled people, are also human beings with the same desires, dreams and ambitions as others…..
His life story teaches me that challenges and setbacks in life are to be embraced, not to be avoided… His unparalleled determination has inspired me to remain focussed on whatever I want to achieve.’
The International Young Journalist conference will take place in Glasgow from 14-16 April, 2014. Participants will enjoy masterclasses from some of the world’s leading journalists on a range of subjects including press freedom and ethical reporting, to technical skills, from investigating features and research to using digital technology and social media to report on their stories.
During the Commonwealth Games, beginning on 23 July, they will prepare their own reports, bulletins and publish online newspapers.