Artisans for Change targets youths

Collymore was speaking on Monday at the launch of ‘Artisans for Change TT Festival’, at the National Library and Information System Authority (NALIS), Corner of Hart and Abercromby Street Port-of-Spain.

In collaboration with Population Services International (PSI) Caribbean and United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), Collymore said the programme will take the form of a fellowship for young creators to link various artforms with social issues.

“Our theme ‘In us change must begin’ is using the Arts to promote social change,” Collymore said.

Population Services International (PSI) Marketing and Communication manger Kevon Foderingham said the programme will teach the youth about communication skills, how to deal with anger, how to know violence and how to prevent violence in their lives.

“It was good to partner with the Poetic Vibes Foundation on this festival because they are also trying to transform youth, but through using Arts and Culture, to get the message out,” he said.

Also speaking at the launch, National Coordinator for United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) Omar Mohammed said their involvement is geared towards increasing the participation of young people in the arts in TT, but specifically to create some sort of positive social change “Culture is a huge part of what we do, and especially learning through the arts as part of our culture.

This is our drive to a more holistic education, we see this as a way to get successful artists in TT and hopefully allow them to impart what they have learnt to the younger artists,” Mohammed said.

He said they are not targeting students who are doing arts in schools, but those who are doing Science, and studies on Humanity who wants to get involved in the arts.

“We want to show them you could do art in so many different ways and they can all impart positively on society even if it is just communicating on an issue or helping people to understand a particular issue better or even to create a movement. We are just trying to create a space where people can feel free and express themselves in a way that is positive and beneficial to society,” he explained

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