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The following is being distributed at the request of the Creoula Project: Return of Portuguese White Fleet marks youth cultural exchange Final preparations are underway and participants have been selected for this summer's Creoula Project, a youth cultural exchange between Canada and Portugal. A highlight of the exchange will be a cross-Atlantic voyage aboard the Creoula, a four-masted fishing vessel that was part of the famed Portuguese White Fleet. The announcement was made at a news conference this morning at St. John's City Hall by Victoria Collins, Chairperson of the Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador, along with Ken Corbett, Manager of the Creoula Project. "I'm pleased to announce that Lieutenant Governor Maxwell House will become our Honorary Patron for this exciting project," Ms. Collins said. The President of Portugal is Chairman of the Honorary Committee, formed for the event in Portugal. The Creoula, now a refitted Portuguese Navy training ship, will set sail for Newfoundland once again on August 9, 1998, arriving on August 28, 1998, marking exactly 25 years since its last visit. 50 young people from Canada (mostly Newfoundland and Labrador) were selected from a large base of qualified applicants. The other Canadian participants come from the Portuguese communities in Montreal and Toronto, as well as three Inuvialuit of Portuguese descent from the North West Territories. They will join the 50 youth selected in Portugal. A mixed Portuguese and Canadian group will crew both legs of the voyage, with time allotted for a cultural exchange program on both sides. Two young people selected to crew the voyage, 22-year-old Jennifer Barnable of Ferryland and 20-year-old Curtis Singleton of St. John's, were on hand for this morning's announcement. Both describe the Creoula Project as "an exciting challenge and an incredible opportunity." The Creoula Project is being organized by special committees in Portugal and St. John's, and is being operated through the Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador. Public sector sponsors include the Department of Tourism, Culture and Recreation, the Marine Institute, the City of St. John's, the Department of National Defence and the Department of Canadian Heritage. Corporate sponsors to date include Sobey's, Vector Aerospace, Fishery Products International, Tom Woodford Ltd., and NewTel. Greg Gaul of Sobey's said, "I'm proud to be part of a project that will be a remarkable experience for a number of young people." The Creoula Project encourages the private sector to "adopt a youth" in order to meet financial targets for the project. Contact: Ken Corbett 1998 07 10 9:55 a.m.
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