Starting Wednesday, May 19, the students and community of Port Royal is in for an amazing 3 days of creative workshop series to empower especially the youth and assist in their development. At the workshop professional artists from literary, visual and performing expressions will deliver thought provoking sessions of motivation, workshop and projects.

The sensitization creative workshop series are being hosted by the OAaSIS International Foundation networking with several members of the creative industry and relating fields, and are tailored according to the area visited.

Using arts and creativity as critical tools participants will be exposed to innovative ways to engender arts in education with emphasis on numeracy and literacy, problem solving, entrepeneurship, being innovative among other areas.

The series also are an introduction to assisting community residents starting with the youth on the value of community tourism with their specific area as an ideal product.

Hence, aside from exposing the participants to the value of self worth and their own skills and talents, they also are guided into seeing how art and creativity relates to other fields for success.

Presenters for workshops and projects will include professionals such as DJ Davonish, founder Anthea McGibbon, Howard MooYoung, Ainsworth Case, while motivation sessions will incorporate the expertise of personalities such as Meredith Hypolite Derby, wife of Colonel Oscar Derby, and Winston Babatunde Witter. The works of literary artists such as Joan Andrea Hutchinson and Jana Bent’s Shaggy and the Parrot will also be employed.

As a special treat to the residents, some of the murals will be retouched and done over by Ainsworth Case, whose work will be continued by Jamaica master painter Bernard Hoyes when he arrives from California on May 24. Bernard Hoyes originally slated to be the mastermind behind upgrading the murals during the scheduled period had to reschedule his flight owing to emergencies arising and beyond his control.

Solid Agency artistes are committed to immersing the participants in the realties of the Jamaican music scene as musician, poet, songwriter Jermaine Gordon will conduct a workshop to enable students to better understand what music is all about as a creative expression. Performing artistes especially for the final day and after concert include Sophia Brown, Anthony Que, Livity, Boom Steppa.

The Foundation is fully endorsed by the Ministry of Education, and has several ongoing projects geared towards empowering the youth. Among them is the furnishing of a library and art department in Sargeantville, St Catherine and an online arts library in addition to the islandwide tour of the sensitization creative workshop series.

After Port Royal the Foundation team moves on to giving tribute to Christopher Gonzalez in June, followed by a Super Workshop Day and concert for Trench Town before going overseas to do a similar workshop series in Florida.

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