Sea inspires youth competitions, website

IOI-Kids is a website for children set up by the University of Malta's IOI-Malta Operational Centre (IOI-MOC) that aims to share ideas, projects, common issues and experiences to enhance knowledge and promote awareness on the marine environment among the younger generations.

It is an innovative outreach interface that uses the internet as a medium and avenue to present information on the marine environment in an appealing form, which takes the form of a learning-through-leisure experience by the use of interactive games and educational articles.

Last year, the IOI-MOC ran a series of IOI-Kids competitions for primary and secondary schoolchildren to combine their artistic and computer talents to prepare electronic projects and news articles related to the sea. The original works, together with other selected contributions, will be featured on the IOI-Kids website www.ioikids.net to share the projects and submissions with other children in Malta and worldwide.

IOI-MOC director Aldo Drago said the aim was to trigger deeper awareness among schoolchildren on such topics and to help the younger generation to experience and express the beauty, might and also the vulnerability of the sea.

In all, around 300 contributions were received, ranging from essays, notes, poems, and stories, to Powerpoint presentations, videos and webpages.

Sisters Maria Josephine and Victoria Vella won the junior category (ages 5-10) of the IOI-Kids Best 2008 Project competition; Raphael Farrugia, Christian Luke Gatt and David Vella shared second place with equal merit.

Ian McLean won the youth category (ages 11-16) while Daniel Gauci and Shaun Fenech placed second and third. Kirsten Leanne received an award for originality with her poem 'Is it life or death for us', describing the anxiety of a little fish under the threat of fishing gear.

Five very high quality videos were submitted for the Best Video Award and the award was won by the Year 4 pupils of Rabat Primary School B for a story describing the endeavour of two fish to fight sea pollution.

The Young Journalist Award went to five-year-old Martina Vella and Manoel Zarb for his superb magazine Fishy! dedicated to fish readers.

Several teachers also organised school activities and group productions related to the competition, and Rabat Primary School B won the IOI-Kids trophy for the best school effort for its dedicated website, featuring contributions from the school.