- Island Games begin in 18 days
- Cultural events to be held as part of the sporting tournament
- Primary school pupils to turn reporters for the games
- Jersey hosting the games for the first time since 1997
MANY Islanders could be forgiven for thinking that the NatWest Island Games, which begin in 18 days, are purely a sporting endeavour.
However, a cultural programme including a world famous opera screening and a Genuine Jersey market is among the events lined up for the Games Village, which will be based in Howard Davis Park.
Suzie Foster, Jersey 2015 manager of ceremonies, has been given the task of transforming the park into the focal point of the Games and with lining up entertainment.
‘We wanted to make the NatWest Island Games inclusive across sport, culture and community,’ she said.
‘The Games Village is the perfect place for this.’
Large screens will be placed in the park and will show a live screening of Rossini’s Cinderella performed by the Rennes Opera Company.
Meanwhile, primary school pupils will also be able to try out some of the sports that athletes will compete in during a try-out sports day.
And on the Thursday of the Games, the park will host a Genuine Jersey market showcasing local produce.
The opera screening will be a recording of a live performance that took place on 5 June 2015 and the public will be able to watch it for free.
The idea for the event came about following talks between Jersey’s Culture Department and colleagues in IIle et Vilaine and Rennes Metropole.
With the support of Alain Surrans, director of Rennes Opera, it will be screened on state-of-the-art equipment already set up for the Games’ week-long entertainment programme in Howard Davis Park.
Phil Austin, chairman of the organising committee, said that he was delighted that the Park was being used for the screening of the opera
‘The NatWest Island Games is an event that will pull the whole community together – not just Jersey’s sportsmen and women and supporters – and it is wonderful that we are able to provide the equipment for this exciting performance,’ he said.
Education Minister Rod Bryans welcomed the collaboration, saying: ‘The biennial live screening from the Rennes Opera House is a wonderful event, which takes opera to audiences of thousands in the Place de la Mairie in Rennes and elsewhere in Brittany and further afield.
‘I’m delighted that it will be seen in Jersey during the Games.’
JERSEY’S future journalists will be providing sports fans with an alternative look at the NatWest Island Games as part of a project to involve youngsters in the event.
The Island’s primary school pupils are in training to be reporters during the week later this month and will be sharing their work online.
Year 5 and 6 pupils will create multi-media reports that will be put online using Makewaves software.
Each Jersey primary school has been twinned with one of the competing islands and has been given the task of researching their partner island.
Jon Tarrant, e-safety and e-learning manager at the Education Department, said: ‘Whether it’s a song, a dance, a poem, an interview or even something created digitally, such as a podcast, stop-motion animation or greenscreen film, everything can now be shared for the world to enjoy.
‘Learning to collaborate and communicate safely online is a key skill for young people today, and the Makewaves platform enables schools to teach responsible social networking activities that will serve pupils well in the future.
‘Combining that with the NatWest Island Games, we have a unique opportunity for pupils to show what they can do with the digital media skills that we have been developing through our new computing curriculum.’
The pupils have been undergoing training to create videos and write reports and interviews with the aim of telling the behind-the-scenes story of Jersey 2015.
Mr Tarrant said: ‘Whether someone mows the grass, washes the kit, drives the bus, fires the starting pistol or competes in an event, we want to hear everybody’s story.
‘This is not just about who crosses the finish line first, it’s the story of the community behind the Games.’
Education Minister Rod Bryans added: ‘This exciting project stimulates curiosity, enhances soft skills and combines this with digital creativity and simple curiosity, which is a key skill of every good reporter.
‘I am looking forward to seeing what they produce and hope Islanders come forward to share their stories with our young reporters to make this a special experience.’
- The first Island Games were held in the Isle of Man in 1985 as part of the Manx people’s Year of Sport.
- Approximately 700 competitors from 15 islands took part in seven different sports. Athletes came from as far afield as Iceland and Scandinavia, the Mediterranean, St Helena, and from around the British Isles.
- The idea was to provide an opportunity for hundreds of young sportsmen and women from small island communities, to compete and enjoy international competition against other islanders with similar standards of performance. Other benefits of such a unique festival of sport were the opportunities for cultural exchange and social interaction with visiting teams, and the chance to establish new friendships with fellow islanders.
- The 1985 festival was such a success that it was agreed to continue it every other year and, in 1987, Guernsey hosted the second Island Games.
- They have subsequently been held in the Faroe Islands, Aland, Isle of Wight, Gibraltar, Jersey, Gotland, Isle of Man, Guernsey, the Shetland Islands, Rhodes, Aland, Isle of Wight and Bermuda.
- The number of participating islands has grown substantially and there are now 25 islands who are members of the International Island Games Association, with 24 competing in this year’s tournament.
