Frequently asked questions
(29.11.2007) You might have a questions about the conference. Here are some frequently asked questions and answers.
Conference dates
When will the conference take place?
It starts with an information meeting in the afternoon of Monday 16 June and ends with a closing ceremony in the evening of Friday 20 June 2008.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Application
Who can apply to attend the conference?
Children aged 10 to 14 years on the 17th of June 2008 who are involved in an environmental project or activity. They must be chaperoned by an adult who is at least 19 years old.
Who can be a chaperone?
The chaperone must be an adult of at least 19 years of age and be able to take responsibility for the child/children during the trip and during the conference. The chaperone could be a teacher, a parent, an NGO leader and so on.
What is the deadline for application?
It was 31 October 2007, but it has been extended until 15 December for persons from countries that are not yet represented, and from Norway.
Why is the deadline so early?
There are far more applicants than spaces available, and it takes time to review all the applications and select the delegates. The local organiser must also have enough time to deal with visa issues, which often takes several months.
When will we know if we have been accepted?
Every applicant will be informed by the end of February 2008 at the latest.
How many people are supposed to attend the conference?
We aim for 1000 including 700 children and 300 chaperones. We hope to have 100 countries or more represented.
How many delegates can apply from each country?
There is no fixed number of delegates per country, but there will be made a selection to make sure that as many countries as possible are represented at the conference. As a rule of thumb, a group should have between 2 and 8 children.
Will everyone from one group be accepted for the conference?
We can not give any promises. It depends on the total number of applicants and countries. In some cases only a few children from one group will be selected.
How do we get a visa to Norway?
When all delegates have been selected, the organisers will send out a letter of invitation along with all the information you need to apply for a visa. Everyone needs to have a passport, and the visa must be handed in at the nearest embassy or consulate immediately when you have received the documents. Details about embassies, visa fees et cetera will be given then.
Will there be other people than the delegates and chaperones at the conference?
The programme contents (workshops, excursions and so on) are only for the delegates and chaperones. However, there will also be an exhibition space at the university where NGOs and companies will present their environmental approaches which will be open to the public. There will also be some media people around, as well as a few observers and representatives of the sponsors.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Conference fees
How much does it cost to attend the conference?
The fee is 250 USD per person (children and chaperones). For local delegates from the Stavanger area it is 250 Norwegian kroner, because they sleep and eat in their own homes.
What do we do if we can't afford the fees?
Applicants from developing countries may apply for a grant to cover travel and conference costs. They must indicate this in the application form. Other delegates must try to obtain funding from sponsors or other supporters. We will present an example of a sponsor application letter after the selection of delegates has been finished.
What is included in the conference fee?
Transport from the airport or railway station to the site of accomodation, accommodation at Madla Army Camp, all local transportation, meals and programme during the conference.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Conference venue
Where is the conference held?
The main venue is the University of Stavanger, located about 5 km south of the city centre in green surroundings. You will find more information at www.uis.no.
Plenary sessions, workshops and action groups will be held at the university, and fieldtrips will go to various interesting places within one hour's radius by bus or boat.
Is the accommodation in the same place?
There are no dormitories at the University of Stavanger, and accomodation will therefore be at the Madla Army Camp. There will be bus transportation between the accomodation and the university.
Is there an internet connection at the conference?
At certain hours there will be several computers available for delegates to go online.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Accommodation
Where are delegates going to sleep?
Those who don't live in the local area will be accomodated at Madla Army Camp. It is located right by the sea, at the historic Hafrsfjord.
What are the rooms like?
There will be mainly 6-bed rooms of plain standard in various dormitories. When the selection of delegates is finished, the organisers will set up a room plan according to group sizes, gender etc.
What about the washrooms and showers?
There are shared facilities, with washrooms and showers in every dormitory. A few showers are in separate single cabins.
Is there anything to do at the army camp?
There are large areas for sports and activities, there is a chapel and a movie theatre. Most evenings however, there will be a separate programme outside the camp, and delegates will not spend a lot of time there.
Are there a lot of military artefacts at the camp?
No, there are not. There will be guards at the entrance, but apart from that the place appears more like a little village. It is often used for cultural events for people living in the local area, like the celebration of Norway's National Day on 17 May.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Programme
When does the programme start exactly?
There will be held an information meeting for children and chaperones on Monday afternoon (16 June). The official programme starts with the opening ceremony on Tuesday morning, and it ends with the closing ceremony on Friday evening.
What is the daily timetable for the conference?
Every day starts with breakfast at Madla Army Camp, then the buses take all delegates to the University of Stavanger.
A keynote speaker will talk about the theme of the day, and then children will present their project.
After lunch all delegates will go either to a workshop or on a fieldtrip.
Action groups will also be held at the university, before buses take everyone back to the army camp.
There all delegates will be served dinner, and then there will be evening activities from around 19.30 to 22.00.
Remember we have daylight nearly all night in Norway at that time of the year!
Will all delegates present their projects on stage?
No. It is impossible to have 700 delegates present their projects. You can indicate on the application form if you would like to give a presentation, and the organisers will then selects a certain number of representative projects. There will probably be about 35 project presentations all in all.
Will there be an exhibition?
Yes, there will. A number of companies and NGOs will present their environmental projects in a separate hall, which is also open to the public. In addition, every delegation can bring a poster about their work, which will be placed in a designated exhibition area.
What is an action group?
When the delegates have been selected, they will be divided into groups which will meet every day during the conference. There are 15 to 20 children in each group, and they will discuss the theme of the day, learn about each other's countries and the environmental challenges, and have games and fun to get to know each other.
What kind of workshops will there be?
There will be numerous workshops reflecting either one of the daily themes (Energy, Water, Biodiversity and Production and consumption) or a general global theme like the UN Milennium goals, fair trade and so on. A lot of professionals and people from environmental organisations will offer their time and knowledge to set up interesting activities for the delegates. There will be 15-25 delegates in each workshop, and the children will be active themselves - not only listening to a speaker.
Can workshops be run by chaperones?
Yes, they can. If a chaperone has an interesting theme that she or he would like to present in a workshop, they should contact us and tell us about it. There is a separate form to be filled in, which gives an overview of the presenter and of the workshop, it can be downloaded from the "Programme" site.
Please be aware that we cannot guarantee that these persons will be selected for the conference, and we cannot cover the travel or accommodation costs. Therefore final agreements need to be done after the delegates and chaperones have been selected.
Where do the fieldtrips go?
There are a number of interesting sites in the Stavanger area; unique nature spaces, interesting technological sites, museums etc.
Most of them are used to presenting to children and involve children in various activities. All the places will be within 1 hour's trip, either by bus or by bus and boat, from the university.
How do delegates sign up for workshops and fieldtrips?
Presumably in March or April 2008 the programme will be complete, and the various activities will then be presented on the website. The delegates will be informed by email about the deadlines, and they will get to know how many workshops and fieldtrips they can select.
Is there a separate programme for the chaperones?
The chaperones will attend the plenary sessions along with the children. While the kids are in workshops or on fieldtrips, there will be a separate seminar programme and some information meetings for the chaperones. But they will also have some free time so that they can have a cup of coffee and mingle with other chaperones.
Will delegates see the fjords?
Yes. We plan to take those visiting delegates and chaperones who wish on a boat trip to the beautiful Lysefjord nearby Stavanger. That will be an optional evening event during the conference.
Is there a post-conference programme?
We have not planned for that so far, but there may be offered a few activities on Saturday 21st June for those who have not yet left. If so, the option will be presented along with the workshops and fieldtrips. But there may be a separate cost for those.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
About Norway and Stavanger
How many people live in Norway?
There are about 4,7 million inhabitants in Norway. Most people live in the region of the capital Oslo, in the south-eastern part of Norway.
How many people live in Stavanger?
There are 118.000 inhabitants in Stavanger. Not very many, but still the city is the 4th largest city in Norway! In the greater region of Stavanger there are about 250.000 people living.
What is the weather like in June?
It is supposed to be summer, but temperatures may vary between 15 and 25 degrees Celsius. It often rains in Stavanger, and everyone should bring rainwear and good clothes for outdoor activities. In the Stavanger area it is only dark for a few hours in the middle of the night at that time. In Northern Norway you have 24 hours of daylight and midnight sun if the weather is clear.
What can one do in Stavanger?
The city centre is beautiful, right by the seaside, and there are plenty of opportunities for sightseeing, shopping, hiking and other activities. There are short distances to beaches, fjords and mountains.
Please visit www.regionstavanger.no for more information.
Why is the conference held in Stavanger?
Because the Young Agenda 21 foundation is located there, and this foundation has run similar conferences five times before since 1997. UNEP decided to collaborate with Young Agenda 21 for this conference.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________