The latest Isle of Man Champions’ forum featured presentations by three guest speakers and the première of a short film by a 16-year-old Ballakermeen High School student about young people’s views on living in the Isle of Man.
Opening the forum, which took place on 28th October, Freedom to Flourish consultant Alistair Audsley announced the launch of the Champions’ first newsletter, Review, which features Champions’ activities and Freedom to Flourish strategy news, including an update on marketing preparations for the 2011 Commonwealth Youth Games.
Mr Audsley also reported the imminent launch of the Champions’ website, isleofmanchampions.com.
An introduction to the Isle of Man energy policy was provided by the Department of Trade and Industry's Dr Ken Milne and Mike Corkhill (pictured).
Dr Milne outlined the policy’s threefold aims which were to maintain the Island’s security of energy supply, secure the efficient use of affordable energy and minimise the impact of energy use on the environment. In addition, an energy and climate change team would be looking at ways of reducing energy consumption and investigating renewable energy sources.
Mike Corkhill spoke of the need to preserve the environment and outlined the department’s energy champion training scheme.
He also provided details of an energy survey the DTI had commissioned in the manufacturing sector that had identified potential savings of some £440,000, and added that it was hoped to extend the surveys to other sectors, such as retail and hospitality.
A presentation on preparations for the 2011 Commonwealth Youth Games by chairman of the organising committee Geoff Karran MBE focused on the need for financial and volunteer support.
Mr Karran said that some 1000 competitors and 250 officials from the 70 nations participating would be coming to the Isle of Man for what was expected to be a ‘truly international high-class event’.
He said selling the Isle of Man internationally was key in the run up to the Games and that an Isle of Man Government presentation to the General Assembly in Delhi in 2010 would help ‘sell’ sport to the Commonwealth as well as into the Island’s business community.
Sponsorship had been secured from government and eight other supporters - Britannia International, Manx Telecom, the Sefton Group, Boston, Tower Insurance, Barclays Wealth, Friend Provident International and 188BET – and Mr Karran added that the committee was looking for a total of 10 partners and around 1000 volunteers.
Following on from this, Children's Centre Learning Consultant Mark Payne gave an outline of the charity’s social enterprise operation, CPD (Corporate Personal Development) which runs bespoke programmes for team building, leadership and management development designed to help people reach their full potential and which generate income for the centre’s charitable projects.
The forum concluded with the first showing of ‘Life in the Isle of Man – do we have Freedom to Flourish?’, a short film made by former Young Filmmaker of Mann Rory Dorling.
The film was commissioned by the Isle of Man Champions as a youth sector initiative to offer an insight into teenagers’ views on facilities for young people in the Isle of Man.
The film's overall message was that while facilities for sports and the arts are good, more general recreational opportunities are limited. During 2010, the Champions aim to commission further film projects involving both young and older members of the community.
Pictured (l-r): Mike Corkhill, Geoff Karran, Alistair Audsley and Dr Ken Milne.
