September 8, 1997 - The Government of St. Lucia will shortly be embarking on activities for Phase two of the Environmental Youth Exchange Programme with the return of four St. Lucian and for Nova Scotian youth on Monday September 1, 1997.

This exchange programme, which arose out of a Memorandum of Understanding signed between the Ministry of Planning and the Province of Nova Scotia, is aimed at promoting trade, economic and environmental linkages between the two regions. The governments of St. Lucia, Nova Scotia and Canadian Crossroads International are jointly funding this exchange programme.

Phase two will commence with one week of orientation activities which will expose the participants to key environmental agencies and projects in the island. Following this, the Nova Scotian youth will be hosted by their St. Lucian colleagues and work with projects/organizations that the St. Lucian youth are affiliated with. This will commence on Monday 8th September and continue until the end of November.

The departments of Fisheries and Forestry, the St. Lucian National Trust, CANARI and the Soufriere Development Foundation are all expected to benefit from this exchange. Meanwhile, arrangements are being finalized to facilitate a management exchange for senior government personnel from both countries.