| Over fifty young people, ages 10 to 17 benefited from the Department of Youth and Culture’s Youth ESCAPE 2011 programme! Calypso Development, Environment and Culture, Culinary Arts, and Art and Painting were the four components of this year’s programme which were scheduled during the summer vacation. |
The Department of Youth and Culture’s Educational Summer Creative Arts Production and Entertainment (Youth ESCAPE) resumed after the Anguilla Summer Festival with an action-packed programme, having just completed a three-day workshop in calypso development from 18 to 21 July for the junior calypsonians.
The “Classic Culinary Arts Camp” hosted by Karimah Carty of the Anguilla Community College delighted the palettes of sixteen young cooking enthusiasts from 8 – 12 August. This mouth-watering experience included sessions on making jams and sugar cakes with Karla Hughes and cake decoration with Stacy-Ann Hodge. A session dubbed “Jollification Time” took the team to the Welches Playground where they barbecued chicken, fried fish and baked Johnny cakes with Teacher Verrin Fleming and Mack. Viceroy hosted the team on Thursday, 11 August, giving them a tour of the hotel, while Chef Jaime treated them to an informative, interesting and tempting cooking demonstration of how to prepare marinara sauce and sushi. The more adventurous threw caution to the wind and discovered the “raw” taste of sushi while perfecting the art of eating with chopsticks. On Friday the group worked with the award winning culinary team, culminating the week with the preparation of a gourmet lunch. Maglan Richardson, Deputy Director of Anguilla Social Security, was one of the guests treated to this sumptuous and delicious experience.
While the objective of Youth ESCAPE is primarily about providing access to the arts, the Environment and Culture Camp hosted by the Anguilla National Trust, from 8 – 12 August focussed on providing an outside adventure or “escape” for those with an adventurous spirit and sought to sensitise and educate them about Anguilla’s environment and cultural heritage. This action-packed week was way too short for the thirteen youngsters who participated. The first day whetted their appetite for adventure when they made johhnny cakes and potato dumplings with cooking enthusiast, Lucien (Tony) Fleming at the National Trust and later hiked to Windward Point. This fun-filled week which was packed with outdoor activities, not only included hikes to Windward Point and Katouche to Sandy Ground, but also sea-bathing at Little Bay after shimmying down the rope, as well as fishing in Sandy Ground and making fish pots in North Hill with Lionel Lloyd. The group also learnt about Anguilla’s salt picking industry and was treated to an exclusive viewing of David Carty’s new, informative and exciting documentary “Nuttin Bafflin”, but the highlight of the week was undoubtedly the trip to Prickly Pear where they hiked, snorkelled and feasted on a delicious lunch.
The Department hosted its final workshop for the summer from 15 – 26 August, where approximately seventeen youngsters developed their skills in art and painting, as Artist Juan Romero Moreno taught them the basic techniques and instilled in them a love and appreciation for art. This two week long workshop culminated on Friday, 26 August, with an exhibition at the Anguilla Library Service from 1:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. where the student’s work were displayed. Among the pieces displayed were several paintings done by the students and Artist Juan himself, who currently offers classes to prison inmates at Her Majesty’s Prison and pupils at the Pupil Referral Unit at Campus C. The exhibition was attended by members of the general public and one student even sold one of her beautiful creations! The exhibition can still be viewed at the Anguilla Public Library. The Department of Youth and Culture wishes to thank Social Security for its generous contribution towards sponsorship of Youth ESCAPE 2011 and wishes to invite more corporate businesses to invest in our young people as we strive to empower our young people and ensure that “our youth and arts are fully valued and resourced in nation building”. We also wish to extend our appreciation to our partners Native Sons for hosting the calypso development workshop in July, and to the Anguilla National Trust and the Anguilla Community College for their continued commitment. We also extend our gratitude to Viceroy Hotel and Staff, the Director and staff of the Anguilla Library Service, The Education Department and Principal of Valley Primary School, Professor Juan, Teacher Verrin and Mack, Karla Hughes, Stacy-Ann Hodge, Lucien Tony Fleming, the young interns Devon Carter, Michael Matthew and Travis Reddock, and to all who were part of the Youth ESCAPE 2011 experience. |
