There are all kinds of summer camps to keep children busy and teach them something useful. But only one camp culminates in a variety show on the big stage at the Bliss. That’s the Expressive Arts Camp hosted by the Ministry of Education and NICH. I visited for the big show when it ended today.
Jacqueline Godwin Reporting,
For many of these boys and girls it was probably the first time that they performed in front of an audience and while they may have held on to each other’s hands or even put a finger or two in their mouths to calm the butterflies inside it was obvious that the skills they learned over the past three weeks made the overall presentations strong like the poem children in need written and recited by young Teniel Humes.
Teniel Humes, Budding Young Poet
“Children in the city noh have nothing to eat. Sprang head di beg people fi 75 cents. Mothers noh have no money fi bread mek deh pickney eat. They deh all wrong the city di look fi money fi buy break mek deh pickney eat. What a world, what a world, children in need.”
Teniel Humes is among the eighty one students who successfully completed the first ever Expressive Arts Summer Gala.
Inez Paquil, QADS - Ministry of Education
“If we instil self confidence in our children to express themselves, when they become adults they will feel confident to stand in front of a crowd
and express themselves confidently. This is what the arts camp will do for your children.”
Leroy Green, Coordinator - Expressive Arts Gala
‘The dancing also develops the physical aspect of the child because the exercise in school goes along with the dance. What people need to understand is that the expressive arts are subjects or disciplines. We study dance, we study drama, we study music, we study visual arts. One you have mastered the skill of those then you can put them into expressing different aspects of our culture. Therefore it is very important to develop it from an early age because
what I have noticed since going to the Ministry, a lot of our educators mix up or confuse the expressive arts with culture.”
Jahmor Lopez, Manager – BDEC
“Let us continue to support our young people. It starts from now. If we encourage them in the arts, it is going to not only develop skills that they have but it is going to actually develop their self confidence and self esteem.”
Inez Paquil,
“The arts promote different paths to learning. It opens opportunities for students to shine especially those who would never thrive in a pen and pencil environment. It also complements the academic component of schooling. It fosters self discipline, motivation, concentration and physical and mental well being.”
For their participation in Expressive Arts Summer Gala, the children were awarded with certificates.
Leroy Green,
“And we are going to make it an annual event and that came about because we at the Ministry thought that if want to cater to all realms of education we must not only hold workshops for our teachers but reach out to our children also.”
The Expressive Arts summer gala ran from July fourteenth to August first. It was hosted at the Bliss Centre for the Performing Arts where the children received instructions in creative writing, arts and craft, singing, music, dance and drama. It was organized by the Ministry of Education in collaboration with the Institute of Creative Arts.
