Tale Of Giant Tortoise Makes History In Guinness World Record

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Free-Press-Release.com) November 26, 2009 -- Dr Wendy Stenberg-Tendys in a recent radio interview was asked, "How did you manage to get 838 participants, mainly school students, to write a proper story in the Guinness World Record challenge, of 'How Many People to Write a Story in 24 Hours'?"

"It was a matter of organization, from Melanesian Tours busing in the students from school, to Guy Deroin having drawn 35 marvelous cartoons to illustrate the story, to student teachers from Malapoa Training College assisting the students. On the day it needed to flow like a factory assembly line, with a sentence being completed and written down every 39 seconds".

On the tropical island of Vanuatu in the South Pacific, YouMe Support Foundation in Port Vila held a successful Guinness World challenge on 19th November.

When asked if there were any hitches Stenberg-Tendys said "We started at 7.30 in the morning and by 10.00 o'clock it looked as if the challenge was going to fail. We were already 100 students down on our schedule. This was when everyone began pulling together".

Passing public were literally coerced off the street to add their sentence to the continuous scroll. Everyone was determined not to be beaten after three months of hard work.

The challenge was successfully completed at 5.30 p.m., only 10 hours after starting. Chris Sheedy, the only Asian Pacific Guinness World Record adjudicator, had expected it to go the full 24 hours. In his declaration of a successful attempt, he complemented YouMe Support Foundation on their efficiency in organization.

The challenge embraced the rich and strongly diversified Melanesian, Polynesian and Micronesian, cultures, strongly flavoured with both French and English culture, which makes Vanuatu unique.

The accomplishment was made even more remarkable in that many of the students were not only writing in their second or third language, but they live in a culture that is very strong in its oral traditions.

A local Ni-Vanuatu artist, Guy Deroin brilliantly illustrated the 35 chapters of story about two children and a giant tortoise. Deroin, though French, speaking has spent all his life in Vanuatu, apart from the time went for education to neighbouring Noumea. His father was French, his mother from the Vanuatu island of Ambae. He is planning a tourist attraction based around his cartoon characters. It is hoped the three characters of the Guinness World Record will find a place in the Cultural Museum, to mark this red letter day.

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Dr Wendy Stenberg-Tendys and her husband are CEO's of YouMe Support Foundation (http://youmesupport.org) provide high school education grants for children who are without hope. You can help in this really great project by taking a few minutes to check it the Tropical Island Treasure Chest at Win a Resort (http://winaresort.com) It really will change your life.
Feel free to contact Wendy on admin@youmesupport.org

     Dr Wendy Stenberg-Tendys     Guinness World Record