Caption: Students attend the first session of the President’s Pan Camp on Monday at the President’s House, St Ann’s. AZP News/Alicia Chamely
By Alicia Chamely
PRESIDENT Christine Kangaloo is urging the nation to embrace positive national transformation through collaboration, innovation and creativity.
Speaking on Monday at the opening ceremony of the second President’s Pan Camp at the President’s House, Port of Spain, Kangaloo urged citizens to look at the example set by the forefathers of steelpan, who through the transformation of the humble oil drum created a not just an instrument, but a system of discipline and collaborative creativity.
@azpnews.com President Christine Kangaloo delivers her opening address at the President’s Pan Camp opening ceremony on Monday at Presidents House, Port of Spain. Video: Alicia Chamely #pancamp #president #ceremony #openingaddress #steelpan
She said, “It begins with a decision to do something different to identify and to understand challenges around us and to be willing to look inwardly to improve our capacity to meet these challenges head on that is exactly what the pioneers of steelpan did, that is exactly what all of us must do in order to for us to inch closer the kind of T&T we all envision.”
Kangaloo continued, “Just imagine the national transformation that could unfold if each of us committed ourselves to collaboration and learning and if we gave ourselves space to let innate creativity and resourcefulness take flight.”
She said, “Imagine the ripple effects across education, crime and community development. Imagine the challenges we could overcome with courage and the obstacles we could overcome with unity, imagine the kind of nation we would be.”
Kangaloo said, “That is the message of the pan camp, and that is the invitation I extend to the nation.”
The President’s Pan Camp was an initiative designed by Kangaloo, “sought to transpose the core principles of teaching steelpan in the panyard into a five-day holistic learning experience.”
@azpnews.com A combined youth steel orchestra performs at the opening ceremony of the President’s Pan Camp on Monday at the President’s House, Port of Spain. Video: Alicia Chamely #pancamp #steelpan #steelorchestra #combinedyouth #performance
The camp’s key objectives were to promote pan as a medium for social change, highlight panyard culture as an agent of socialisation, empower youth through the panyard model of discipline and collaboration, and raise awareness of the vital role steel bands and panyards play in youth development.
The second instalment of the President’s Pan Camp, being held at the President’s House, ran from July 14-18.
Twenty-five students, ages 12-18, with no prior experience playing the steelpan took part in the five-day camp.
Campers were selected from five organisations: The Cotton Tree Foundation, The Scout Association of Trinidad and Tobago, Police Youth Clubs in Trinidad and Tobago, The Girl Guides Association of Trinidad and Tobago and the Trinidad and Tobago Cadet Force.
@azpnews.com Spoken word artist Derron Sandy performs at the opening ceremony of the President’s Pan Camp on Monday at the President’s House, Port of Spain. Video: Alicia Chamely @derronsandypoet @tnt_1962 #spokenword #spokenwordpoetry #performance #pancamp #derronsandy
The camp featured four mentorship sessions featuring Freetown Collective’s Muhammed Muwakil, Justice Gillian Lucky, Ms. Anna-Lise Naton and Joshua Regrello.
