This year, three Mumbai students have been selected to participate in theCathay Pacific International Wilderness Experience to be held in SouthAfrica from July 12-21. This is the fourth year India has been included inthe programme.

The students, all aged between 15 and 18 years, were selected after aday-long workshop, in which over 36 students from colleges around the citytook part. The theme of the workshop this year was `Urban Pollution'. Theaim was to generate awareness about the pollution problem in Mumbai as wellas discuss measures to prevent it.

Prashant Mahajan of the Bombay Natural History Society (BHNS), Kedar Gore ofWWF-India, K H Mehta of the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board, Dr Mahasur,head of the Department of Chest Medicine at KEM Hospital and Dr Sandeep Raneof the Smoke Affected Residents Forum addressed the students on the harmfuleffects of pollution.

Tom Wong, country manager (India, Nepal and Bangladesh, Cathay Pacific),said, "We are happy to continue the participation of students from India inthe Cathay Pacific International Wilderness Experience for the fourthconsecutive year. We believe that the experience the students accumulateduring this educational and awareness experience will help them appreciatethe environment and preserve it."

Amisha Verma of NM College, and Hemangi Abhyankar and Neha Mishra of HRCollege will join over 50 youngsters from Hong Kong, China, South Korea,Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia, Indonesia,Thailand, Vietnam and South Africa on a week-long ecological course to beheld in Rustenberg in South Africa. Air fare, course fees, meals,accommodation and ground transport inside South Africa will be covered bythe airline.

The Cathay Pacific International Wilderness Experience was started inJohannesburg in 1994 after the company made contact with the founder of anenvironmental school, Clive Walker. Walker is one of South Africa's bestknown conservationists, wildlife artists and writers on natural history.Around 2,500 people have passed through the school since its inception in1985.

Participants in the course get a unique opportunity to meet young peoplefrom other countries and to learn from one another's culture. A majorobjective being pursued by Cathay Pacific is to educate children about theenvironment. They hope the children will spread the word about the finalityof the destruction man is causing the environment, and the delicate balancethat exists in ecosystems.

In the first year, participants were drawn from South Africa and Hong Kong.The success of the project led to Taiwan and Korea being added to the listin 1995. Since then, over 250 schoolchildren have been part of thisWilderness Experience. Cathay Pacific says that it is investing in thefuture when it nurtures young minds.