The Ministry of Education, Human Resource Planning, Vocational Training & National Excellence in collaboration with the United Nations Migration Agency, IOM will host its Migration Matters Creative Competition Prize Giving Ceremony on Thursday 21 April 2022 at Alliance Française from 10:00 am.

You are cordially invited to provide media coverage for this event, which is expected to end at approximate 11:30 am.  The Honourable Minister of Education, Octavia Alfred, will present prizes to the winners of the competition, which ran from 16 February to 18 March 2022. 

Students of the following schools participated in the competition: Castle Bruce Preparatory School, Convent High School, Convent Preparatory School, Dominica Grammar School, Massacre Primary School, North Eastern Comprehensive, St. Johns Primary School, St. Martin Primary School. 

rel="nofollow"rel="nofollow"

Please find agenda attached in the email.

Project Description

The Migration Matters Schools Creative Competition was done as a partnership between the Ministry of Education and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), to create discussion and greater understanding around the topic of migration, and the importance of regular, well managed migration. The first phase of the partnership began on 20 January 2022 with the Global Migration Film Festival (GMFF), which featured three migration-themed films. One of the films was that of a local artist.  

Secondary Schools from across the island were given the opportunity to participate in online viewings of the films, which were followed by lively discussions held after each viewing,  providing an opportunity to enhance retention and transfer of knowledge for the students, and for IOM and the Ministry of Education to understand what the students thought about the themes touched in the films.   Primary schools also received the links to the films, which the Ministry encouraged them to use in their Health & Family Life Education (HFLE) sessions.

The Migration Matters Schools Creative Competition has extended the collaboration with the Ministry of Education, with funding from the IOM Development Fund (IDF), and under a capacity-building initiative to enhance the Border Management Capacity of the Government of Dominica.  The objectives of the competition were

1.  Increasing students’ understanding of syllabus topics with migration themes
2. Presenting a historical overview of the Caribbean as a migratory culture
3. Encouraging students to use media, technology, and art to express their thoughts about migrants and migration;
4. Furthering the public conversation about the importance of safe migration through regular pathways, for individuals and society to benefit from the opportunities that migration presents.

Topics explored through the competition included

• The impact of migration on the family 
• Outstanding migrant in my community
• The effects of push and pull factors on the permanent relocation of a particular group in society and/or region
• The consequences of migration in the Caribbean region.
• The historical, social, and economic circumstances leading to permanent relocation.

Winners in each category will receive rewards from IOM, the Ministry of Education, and other partners who have come on board.