Oct 11 - UN Students Express Gratitude to Government
With a visit to the UN and a conference with the Council on Foreign Relations under their belts, the six local students that were chosen to accompany the Government delegation to the New York this week, explained that they had really enjoyed the meetings, especially at the UN.
Although the group, who were accompanied by Education Director Dr. Joey Britto and Minister for Education Gilbert Licudi, did not have the chance to carry out a great deal of sight seeing, some of their favourite moments include a visit to Times Square, Central Park and Grand Central Station.
The students, Aysha Panter and Cristina Gonzalez from Westside, Thomas Blagden and Ryan Robba from Bayside and Tom Ramagge and Roger Cabral from the College, were chosen to attend the trip following an essay writing competition, which asked students to write 500 words on the subject of ‘The United Nations Committee of 24 and the importance of Gibraltar’s participation in it’.
Tom explained that he didn’t have a lot of prior knowledge eon the UN but was eager to join in with everything that was going on at the college.
During their visit to both Washington and New York, the group met with the Gibraltar interns currently work in the capital city. They discussed life as an intern and University possibilities. The Washington Press Club was another highlight for the group, who noted that the Chief Minister handled press questions ‘really well’.
Commenting on the trip, Christina noted, ‘people kept telling us that we are the future of Gibraltar so it was important we understood these things. It certainly opened my eyes to a lot of things.’ Roger expressed his gratitude to the Government for giving the group such a huge opportunity.
Dr. Britto added, ‘these young people have been excellent ambassadors for Gibraltar,' said Joey. 'It has made me very proud to see how they have conducted themselves in some very high-profile company and in some prestigious situations. They have been a real credit to Gibraltar.’
Commenting on the matter, Deputy Chief Minister Dr. Garcia, whose office organised this project together with the Department of Education, said, ‘It is a manifesto commitment of the Government to bring young people to the United Nations and this is exactly what we have done. It has been a genuine please to meet them after having read their essays. They are now keenly aware of the issues and challenges that Gibraltar faces at the United Nations. Making young people aware of these issues can only be a good and a positive development for the future. They have done Gibraltar proud through their behaviour and through the interest that they have shown.’
