2012: My best moments!

Last year, I was writing my last post for 2011 in Mauritius on this date and I had no idea how 2012 will be like. I thought that the best things that could have happened was over, but I was wrong. 2012 has has been a really wonderful year for me. It was full of learning, discovery, connection, travelling, conferences, workshops, meeting new people, new jobs and lots more. Here is my year in review! 🙂

YoBloCo Awards

Winning the 1st Prize of the YoBloCo Awards was not one of my best moments in 2012, but in my whole life. I am truly grateful and cannot thank CTA enough for this opportunity.

YPLD Mauritius

I have been the country representative for YPLD Mauritius from March to August 2012 and despite a short one, it was a very nice experience with a great team working for sustainable development in Mauritius. We organised a lunch on the occasion of the Food Revolution Day to raise awareness on healthy and safe food and in the framework of Rio+20, we conducted a survey on sustainable development in Mauritius and a short video was also made.

YPARD Internship

In April 2012, I was appointed as YPARD‘s remote intern for Web4Knowledge. Many youths do not show interest in non remunerated internships, but in the 6 months that I have worked with YPARD, I have been trained/mentored remotely and learnt a lot about information management and website update, that I may not have learnt otherwise. It was a great opportunity for me to connect with youths in Agriculture over the world and it was always a pleasure to assist them in their search for information or connect them with others within the YPARD network. Through YPARD itself, I got the chance to represent the Youth at the Second Global Conference on Agricultural Research for Development (GCARD2) which was a life-changing experience for me. Thanks YPARD for the great experience, it is helping me in my new position today!

Zi and Nad’s Wedding

One of the big family events for 2012 was my brother’s wedding. Weddings in Mauritius are held from 3-5 days and for one whole week I really had a great time in the celebrations 🙂

IAALD Africa Chapter Conference

The Award Ceremony of the YoBloCo Awards was held in Johannesburg, South Africa during the IAALD Africa Chapter Conference. Before the conference, a Youth consultation meeting was organised in the framework of the ARDYIS Project. Read more on the event HERE.

Web 2.0 Training in Mauritius

I had the chance to co-facilitate the web 2.0 learning opportunities in Mauritius which was organised by CTA in collaboration with UoM and FARC. It was great sharing my experience on web 2.0 and social media with the participants and networking with them.

FANRPAN Regional Dialogue

One of the works that I am very proud of is the Mauritius Case Study on current and emerging youth policies and initiatives with a special focus on links to agriculture that I conducted for FANRPAN. The Case studies from 6 African countries were presented at the 2012 Regional dialogue in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

My last AIESEC Mauritius National Conference

And yes, I finally left AIESEC to head for the future. The experience and values that I got in AIESEC are invaluable and I’ll cherish these memories forever. Thanks AIESEC for the life-changing experiences. Nothing can be compared to the AIESEC Experience, once an AIESECer, always an AIESECer!

GCARD2

I attended the 2nd Global Conference on Agricultural Research for Development (GCARD2) in Uruguay this year. Being trained a social reporter, getting our certificates from the Minister of Agriculture, meeting the President of Uruguay, and networking with key persons in Agricultural Research for Development is not an opportunity we get everyday. Thanks again to YPARD! 🙂

CTA Internship

I started an internship at CTA in the Netherlands in November. I have been involved in the ARDYIS project for the past 2 years and now I feel really lucky to get the opportunity to work on the project. I am a living proof that CTA is doing a lot for youth in Agriculture in ACP countries. Again, I am truly thankful to CTA for all the opportunities I got so far!

Travels

Netherlands

Belgium

Germany

UK

I really love travelling, meeting new people, learning new cultures and share mine. Having always lived in Mauritius, Europe has been a big change for me, but I am gradually getting used to the new environment and the cold! 🙂

Thank you God, my family, friends, colleagues and mentors for the beautiful year.

Wish you all a Happy New Year 2013! 🙂