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© 2025 Island Innovation. All rights reserved.

    News

    Curated stories and analysis from islands and sustainability leaders worldwide.

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    Showing 9 of 126 news items in Connectivity & Digitization
    Tradition goes Vertical: First Nations Storytellers tap into Traditional Knowledge
    Connectivity & DigitizationSeptember 26, 2024

    Tradition goes Vertical: First Nations Storytellers tap into Traditional Knowledge

    Photo Supplied: Vaimo’oi’a Ripley. Retrieved from abc.net.au The week-long skills training brought together eight participants from across the Pacific and Australia, including Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Palau, Nauru, Samoa, and Vanuatu. Two participants represented partner organisations Vanuatu Broadcasting Television Corporation (VBTC) and Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Program (SPREP). Providing participants with a mobile journalism (mojo) kit, the goal of the week was to learn how to plan, shoot and edit climate and traditional knowledge related stories from their local communities. For Gimuy First Nations Australian participant Talicia Minniecon, who has ties to Ambrym Island in Vanuatu, the connection with other story tellers was particularly meaningful. “Being Indigenous Peoples, one of the biggest things we do very well is connect with other people. Connecting with all the different delegates has been, for me, very enriching,” she says. “I’ve learnt a lot in terms of their cultural knowledge, their skill set, and what they bring to the table when it comes to a setting like this.”

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    A perfect place to build a film community’: a tour of Scotland’s island movie clubs
    Connectivity & DigitizationSeptember 26, 2024

    A perfect place to build a film community’: a tour of Scotland’s island movie clubs

    Photograph: Ian Rutherford/Alamy. Retrieved from theguardian.com Think of a film festival and images of celebrities, paparazzi and throngs of tourists might spring to mind, but one festival on a Hebridean island does things a little differently. The [Sea Change film festival](https://screenargyll.co.uk/sea-change-2024/), which runs from Friday to Sunday, has been attracting the public and the film industry to Tiree (population about 650) in the Inner Hebrides for the past five years. It’s Scotland’s only annual festival dedicated to celebrating women through film, and hosts screenings, workshops and talks, as well as beach walks, pilates classes and swimming sessions. The community centre becomes the main cinema and an after-party might mean a few pints at a pop-up bar rather than a glitzy hotel. Jen Skinner, from Screen Argyll, which launched the festival, says the idea grew out of film clubs on Tiree and neighbouring islands. “Our community cinema started with a projector in the cattle market: you needed a broom to turn it on,” she says. However, with support from Screen Scotland, Into Film and BFI Neighbourhood they were able to start programming films and connecting with other community cinemas. The film festival became possible. With the closest cinema on the mainland a three-day trip from Tiree, this is a cultural service for locals and visitors alike.

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    Chief Minister delivers biosphere talk during Virtual Island Summit
    Connectivity & DigitizationSeptember 19, 2024

    Chief Minister delivers biosphere talk during Virtual Island Summit

    Photo courtesy: Isle of Man Government. Retrieved from iomtoday.co.im The Chief Minister Alfred Cannan has taken part in the [2024 Virtual Island Summit](https://tracking.vuelio.co.uk/tracking/click?d=_n2NOHdsuxbZN7jKhr_CnE_U7oSImrneXB-Zn9XTFW62ZKl8QahB-AbKs-nY8wx_em9mSFPVLsjDNoy0zaEu5YRhznoPEpESY9i76FQphpojKN2JqEiMuh4IYSvU_mxV3s696sUOoTwr7WxVau-Zk_BRZBjhyJE89pmggqL2u-i6T2NGfhbLps_joxxEvOfL2Q2), speaking in front of a global audience. Mr Cannan outlined the Isle of Man’s UNESCO biosphere status and the government’s commitment to sustainability. Running over five days, the summit seeks to connect islanders around the world and address the unique challenges facing island communities. The island’s biosphere status – awarded by UNESCO in 2016 – was the main theme of discussion, along with efforts being made to improve the Isle of Man’s sustainability.

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    UNESCO and the European Union facilitated training for young Caribbean musicians at the Chigiana Summer Academy 2024
    Connectivity & DigitizationSeptember 17, 2024

    UNESCO and the European Union facilitated training for young Caribbean musicians at the Chigiana Summer Academy 2024

    Photo: Chigiana / Roberto Testi. Retrieved from unesco.org From 15 July to 2 September 2024, the [Accademia Musicale Chigiana](https://www.chigiana.org/) in Siena, Italy, hosted an unprecedented initiative. Eighteen young musicians from the Caribbean, hailing from Barbados, Cuba, the Dominican Republic and Trinidad and Tobago took part in an advanced musical training programme. The participation of these artists was made possible through collaboration between the Academy and the UNESCO programme [Transcultura: Integrating Cuba, the Caribbean and the European Union through Culture and Creativity](https://www.unesco.org/en/transcultura?hub=66907), funded by the European Union. The opportunity included free online application, with no fees required, for one of the Academy’s courses and full coverage of travel and accommodation expenses for the selected musicians. We are proud of the success of this extraordinary international cooperation initiative. We are deeply grateful to UNESCO and the European Union for creating this important institutional partnership with the Accademia Chigiana and for extending their support to the merit and talent of the young candidates.

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    Caribbean women to lead AI engagement in Global South summit
    Connectivity & DigitizationAugust 30, 2024

    Caribbean women to lead AI engagement in Global South summit

    Excerpt and photo from antiguaobserver.com How does artificial intelligence (AI) fit into a Caribbean context, and who will benefit? Those are some of the questions that two St Lucian women will be answering when they host the inaugural AI Global South Summit from October 29-31 in St Lucia. Kem-Laurin Lubin and Gale Rigobert are co-chairs of the not-for-profit foundation, and have extensive expertise in both AI and education. Rigobert, an international education consultant, and a former Education Minister in St Lucia, has over a decade in academia specialising in international relations and in political leadership, while Lubin is completing her doctorate in artificial intelligence and a scholarship at the University of Waterloo in Canada. The duo aim to spark critical conversations about AI, dispelling fears that the technology will replace human jobs and helping Caribbean nations keep pace with global technological advancements. “The Global South always seems to be lagging behind because of lack of resources, lack of know-how, not investing adequately in research and development. So, we find ourselves being consumers and downloaders and not active participants in the creation of technology,” Rigobert explained.

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    Devon Warner, Chairman of the Barbuda Council, to speak at VIS2024 – 10,000 attendees expected at summit
    Connectivity & DigitizationAugust 20, 2024

    Devon Warner, Chairman of the Barbuda Council, to speak at VIS2024 – 10,000 attendees expected at summit

    Excerpt and Photo from antiguanewsroom.com The VIS has become one of the largest knowledge-sharing opportunities for island stakeholders, with the free zero-carbon event promoting public participation and understanding of sustainable island solutions, while also providing access to expert speakers from civil society, academia, the private sector as well as government officials. The first set of speakers announced include: During his address at the 2023 VIS **Grenada Prime Minister Hon. Dickon Mitchell** noted: “Every year since 2019 this innovative zero carbon Initiative brings together leaders from island states across the world  to share ideas, network and develop sustainable strategies to address pressing issues that are unique to our island reality. Let me begin by commending the organizers for recognizing and underscoring the importance of unity among island states especially in the face of the climate crisis. Our destinies are undoubtedly intertwined and our survival will depend on our ability to work together and support one another.”

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    The greenest games ever? How claims of Olympic sustainability hit a reef in Tahiti
    Connectivity & DigitizationJuly 29, 2024

    The greenest games ever? How claims of Olympic sustainability hit a reef in Tahiti

    A greener games? Certainly that is what Paris promised when it made environmental sustainability, innovation and leadership central to its successful bid to host the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The Organising Committee [promised](https://www.france24.com/en/france/20230725-greenest-in-history-how-paris-aims-to-halve-the-olympics-carbon-footprint) “historic” progress on climate goals, [halving the carbon footprint](https://olympics.com/ioc/news/paris-2024-high-ambitions-for-lower-carbon-games) of previous games in Rio and London. To achieve this, Paris will cut carbon emissions across travel, construction and operations such as catering and accommodation. All Olympic sites will connect to the public electricity grid, avoiding diesel electricity generation. To enhance social, economic and environmental sustainability, new construction has been minimised by using existing and temporary venues.

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    Guarding the Federated States of Micronesia’s Digital Frontier: How CSOs are Laying the Groundwork to Protect the Island From Online Vulnerabilities
    Connectivity & DigitizationJuly 23, 2024

    Guarding the Federated States of Micronesia’s Digital Frontier: How CSOs are Laying the Groundwork to Protect the Island From Online Vulnerabilities

    Excerpt and Photo from undp.org The Pacific Digital Democracy Initiative, funded by the European Union, extends its efforts in enhancing digital readiness and promoting democratic engagement across the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM). This initiative focuses on two major components: (1) Increasing government capacity development; and (2) Partnering up with civil society organizations (CSOs) to protect the digital landscape from cyberthreats and supported through Low Value Grants. The project aims to promote whole-of-society digital transformation through extensive capacity building with civil society and providing training to government officials on digital transformation leadership. By doing so, it seeks to make public service delivery more transparent and efficient, ultimately benefiting citizens across the region.

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    Digital disconnect in remote Indigenous communities limits Far North’s economy and career opportunities
    Connectivity & DigitizationJuly 5, 2024

    Digital disconnect in remote Indigenous communities limits Far North’s economy and career opportunities

    Picture: Samuel Davis. Retrieved from cairnspost.com.au First Nations digital creators across Far North Queensland risk being left behind with poor internet service hurting economic development in remote communities, leaders say. Innovation Minister Leanne Linard announced two funding initiatives aimed at increasing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders’ digital skills in Cairns on Tuesday. But remote communities north of Cairns risked missing out on taking advantage of such opportunities if patchy services didn’t improve, Seisia-based community organiser Talei Elu said. “It’s not just internet and phone reception, it’s also power outages that trigger connectivity issues as well,” the [former Queensland Young Australian of the Year said](https://www.cairnspost.com.au/news/cape-york/talei-elu-of-seisia-in-cape-york-wins-queensland-young-australian-of-the-year/news-story/0d1f4c091d0cacb7c8b2f0e0317dd4c5). “A lot of jobs in the future will be tech-based and we hardly talk about those innovations like 3D printing, AI and other developments in our communities and schools.

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