Young Creatives Get Opportunity To Hone Craft

When visual arts student Jaevon Vassell heard about the opportunity to hone his skills through participation in the Ministry of Culture, Gender Entertainment and Sport’s internship programme for young creatives, he did not hesitate to apply.

The third-year student at the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts in Kingston, who majors in painting, says he is always looking for avenues to master his craft.

“My goal for this year was to enrol in as many events and activities in the field of visual arts as I could, so I jumped at the opportunity,” he tells JIS News.

Jaevon was among the first set of beneficiaries under the internship programme, which is being executed through the Ministry’s Entertainment, Culture and Creative Industries Council (Jamaica Creative) Division.

He will be interning at Mystique Integrated Services Limited in Kingston, which is a digital creative, marketing and advertising agency.

The young artist, who also does graphic design and sculpting, says that participation in the internship programme will also assist in his entrepreneurial aspirations and facilitate much-needed networking experience.

“It is going to help me build my name as a visual artist. In Jamaica, you have to have a name for yourself, and working alongside bigger companies will help you to emphasise who you are and show what you can do as an artist,” he shares.

Sixty paid internships are being awarded this year to students pursuing various fields of study in the creative industries, under the Jamaica Creative internship programme.

The first 30 awards were made earlier this month, and the remaining 30 will be presented later in the year.

The internships are two to three months in duration, and participants will be paid a minimum stipend of $50,000 per month.

Theatre major, Kiana Jackson, who is studying Drama in Education at Edna Manley, is thrilled at the opportunity to intern at the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC).

The aspiring drama teacher tells JIS News that the internship will place her in the world of the performing arts, which she describes as her “true passion”.

“I would also like to be a performer. I like hosting and events planning, too; I don’t limit myself. This opportunity will create networking opportunities,” the young creative notes.

Ms. Jackson says she will be encouraging her fellow schoolmates to apply so that they, too, can benefit from the invaluable work experience offered through the initiative.

The internship programme is one of several commemorative activities for Jamaica’s 60th anniversary of Independence.

It is a continuation of the Jamaica Creative Career Expo hosted by the Jamaica Creative Division in February.

The public-private partnership provides opportunities for networking and career advancement by exposing trainees and young practitioners to all aspects of the creative industries.

It is in keeping with the Government’s commitment to strengthen the existing framework, while creating new opportunities for up-and-coming practitioners.

Jamaica’s cultural and creative industries are comprised of music, literature and publishing, visual arts, design, gifts and crafts, film, television and broadcast, digital media, advertising and marketing, theatre, dance and performing arts, fashion, culinary/gastronomy, museums, galleries and libraries, and cultural heritage.

Historically, the industries are highly fragmented, comprising numerous sub-sectors and genres operating within their own ecosystem.

National Director for Jamaica Creative, Marisa Benain, tells JIS News that the innovative approach is intended to create greater synergies, through improved engagement of creatives entering the industry with critical actors already in the space.

“Jamaica Creative’s mandate is really to amalgamate the creative industries, encourage them to formalise themselves and find a path to progression for all our creatives,” she notes.

“This private-public partnership is long-term, where we pair students with any corporate entity that has [affiliation] with creative industries,” she notes.

By assisting these talented individuals to get the foundational tools (connections, training), they will be able to transform their raw talent into legitimate, business ventures and thriving careers.

Ms. Benain says the internship programme will also serve as a talent incubator for the preservation of Jamaica’s rich cultural heritage, thereby safeguarding ‘Band Jamaica’.

She notes that in the initial phase, internships will primarily be at companies based in the Corporate Area but will be expanded to the rural areas.

She says that Jamaica Creative is in the process of developing a creative talent database, using information from enrolment records of tertiary institutions across the island.

Other participating entities in the internship programme include Sagicor, Digicel Group, Main Event Entertainment Group Limited, Phase 3 Productions, Headline Entertainment, Phillip Sherlock Centre for the Creative Arts, J. Wray and Nephew Limited, Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC), and Creative Production and Training Centre (CPTC).