Flyer courtesy of Candace Charles, Cayman student in the UK – Graphic Design.
Students from across the Overseas Territories came together on 11 March in London for the second Overseas Territories student conference hosted by the United Kingdom Overseas Territories Association (UKOTA) and The National Maritime Museum.
The day began with introductions and welcome, followed by talks from the Maritime Museum, leading professionals and Professors from Universities nationwide. The afternoon sessions included visits to the main exhibitions of the Museum, including a special showcase of artifacts specific to the OTs, and a break out session on the topic of “citizen diplomats”.
The talks began with lecture by Robert Blyth of the National Maritime Museum, this was an exceptional way to start the day and it seamlessly linked the museum’s maritime history focus to the Overseas Territories, a “Br-empire” past and the Brexit future. Mr Blyth talked though the process of the search through the museums millions of artifacts to find all those relating to the OTs. Students learned about the process of collating ahistorical artifacts and how this is relevant to the narrative of the OTs. More information and a video of Mr Blyth’s talk can be found HERE.
Dr Peter Clegg, Associate Professor of Politics and International relations from the University of The West of England (Bristol) spoke about the potential implications of Brexit on the OTs. The ideas and facts presented were particularly timely and pertinent, considering the new developments on Brexit at the time of the conference. Watch Dr Clegg’s talk HERE with thanks to BTSW productions.
Dr Alasdair Pinkerton from Royal Holloway University of London and Dr Matt Benwell from University of Newcastle, hosted a workshop and break out sessions about ‘Citizen Diplomacy’ a topic which talks about how diplomacy is no longer just in the hands of Ambassadors and the elite but in fact involves all citizens and diaspora groups around the world. Lean more by watching the video of the workshop HERE.
Dr Benwell commented: “It was…a pleasure it was to be involved in the conference. I came away from the event positively buzzing; Al and I both learnt an incredible amount from all the students who attended and engaged with us and each other.”
Siobhan Flax, BVI Student Conference working group added “The engaging and insightful Citizens Diplomats workshop was very well received. The workshop truly allowed the students to think about how they can make their own contribution to their territories by projecting desired images and narratives in light of the new, uncertain international environment. It was also particularly useful in allowing all attendees to learn a bit more about other OTs. The very lively debate during the Brexit Futures break-out group in the afternoon also confirms that it was a meaningful session.”
The afternoon was spent with various break-out groups visiting some of the exhibitions at the Maritime Museum, guided by hosts of the event.
A specially dedicated exhibit was put together by the National Maritime Museum for this conference including items making up a collection specific to the Overseas Territories, participants were able to learn about historical items specific to their territory and discuss what this means to them in relation to understanding their home in the modern context. Read more about each item from this exhibit and watch the video for close up views and explanations from tour guide at the CAIRD LIBRARY ARTICLE HERE.
The event was organised by a working group put together by UKOTA in conjunction with the Royal Museums Greenwich. A group of student volunteers from across the territories assisted with the co-ordination of the event and met at the museum to plan the logistics and coordination of the day. The event flyer was produced by Caymanian Graphic Designer Candice Charles, the OT artifacts student response report was put together by Caymanian volunteer and graduate Nordania Stewart.
The group of student volunteers came from all territories, a great opportunity for students from different territories to work together.
Student volunteers were as follows:
Kate Kandiah – Cayman Islands – CCUK Representative/Student volunteer liaison.
Candice Charles – Cayman Islands – Graphic Design and video production
Nordania Stewart – Cayman Islands – Event Management and exhibition
Xyrah Wheatley – BVI – Event Management and Master of Ceremonies
Randall Thomas – BVI – Student video interviews
Renate Hinds – TCI – Event co-ordination
Krysteen Ormond – The Falklands – Event co-ordination, student feedback
This year we were delighted to have on board Benson Williams of BTSW Productions, a student from the Turks and Caicos Islands, who documented the entire event – a six part series of the day can be found HERE.
CCUK’s co-founder Kate Kandiah said: “This was a really excellent event, showcasing the shared maritime history and common issues relating to all of the Overseas Territories. It was a perfect platform for students to meet fellow Overseas Territories students and share experiences. I commend UKOTA and The Maritime Museum for their work and have heard from our Cayman student members that they found the event fascinating, fun and informative and are already looking forward to the next UKOTA conference!”
