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Parents Urged to Support Children in the Arts

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JIS: Parents are being urged to support children who want to pursue careers in the creative industries.

 

Dean of the School of Visual Arts at the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts, Miriam Hinds-Smith, said it is important for parents to encourage children to develop their artistic talents.

 

She noted that there are a range of careers available to persons who pursue professional studies in the field.

 

“Parents, I appeal to you, trust the decisions of your child. Support them. Not just financially, but have those conversations that explore what it is they are interested in,” she said.

 

Mrs. Hinds-Smith was addressing a Jamaica Information Service (JIS) Think Tank at the JIS head office today (June 20), to raise awareness about the importance of the creative industries to national development.

 

Dean of the School of Dance, Kerry-Ann Henry, who also addressed the Think Tank, said the Edna Manley College is undertaking various strategies, in an effort to ensure greater accessibility and flexibility in course offerings.

 

She is encouraging parents to visit the college for information about its various programmes.

 

“We are looking at different ways of offering our programmes and how persons can access them. We are also (going into high schools) for recruitment sessions, and to get students to be thinking a lot earlier about whether the arts is a good area for a career,” she informed.

 

Ms. Henry said the college wants to raise awareness about the viability of careers in the arts, which will enable graduates to be productive citizens while pursuing their passion.

 

She pointed to the need for increased support for studies in the creative field, through scholarships and grants.

 

“At Edna, you can define all the things that you want to become. You will define that experience… and that is why you should come to the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts, so you can create your own pathway, to reimagine, reinvent, rediscover and to paint a path through the world that you will leave a legacy on,” she said.

 

Mrs. Hinds-Smith, in the meanwhile, said the college is committed to maintaining integrity in its programme offerings, through constant assessment and monitoring of courses, feedback from clients and adhering to global and regional standards.

 

“We are constantly in a space where we assess and develop and rethink to respond to our clients. What we provide at the college is a service, and for us to be meaningful, our service has to be relevant,” she said. 

 

CAPTION: Dean, School of Dance, Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts, Kerry-Ann Henry, addresses a Jamaica Information Service (JIS) Think Tank at the agency’s Head Office in Kingston on Tuesday, June 20