IBI Ambassador Seeks to Change Lives Through Music

Recently appointed ‘I Believe Initiative’ (IBI) Ambassador, vocal coach and recording artiste, Adiel Thomas, is on a mission to change the lives of young people through music programmes and other initiatives.

He says that while previous IBI ambassadors have focused primarily on academic development and skills training to uplift Jamaicans, he wants to use music to inspire people and reach the youth who are interested in having a career in the industry.

“Music is one of the most powerful tools in the world that can be used to spread anything. The mantra for the  I Believe Initiative is fixing what is wrong with Jamaica with what is right, and I think music can help to fix what is wrong with Jamaica. Music is one of the things that have not been explored in the whole I Believe Initiative,” Mr. Thomas tells JIS News.

Governor-General, His Excellency the Most Hon. Sir Patrick Allen, in November, pinned the 37 IBI ambassadors who will serve for 2018. The ceremony was held at the Spanish Court Hotel in New Kingston.

Mr. Thomas informs that he is currently conceptualising the name for his mentorship programme that he wants to implement, and which will focus primarily on music and target inner-city and unattached youth.

“The plan I really want to push for is called ‘Music for Social Change’. What I want to do is to provide mentorship… . I’ve already started it unofficially, and the I Believe Initiative is going to give me a bigger platform,” he states.

“There are a lot of musicians who reside in youth groups and in churches, and they don’t know what to do to further their musical career, whether it is to become an artiste or a producer. I want to help them,” Mr. Thomas, who is a resident of Grants Pen adds.

The ‘I Believe Initiative’ will not be the first platform Mr. Thomas is given to reach the youth. After completing his Bachelor of Arts Degree in Mass Communication at the Northern Caribbean University in Mandeville, he was employed as an adjunct lecturer at the institution, where he tutored students in the area of audio recording.

Mr. Thomas tells JIS News that he knew he wanted to pursue a career in music at a young age.

“I want to continue recording all genres of music. I’ve done gospel, reggae, pop and a lot of fusion,” he states.

Meanwhile, the IBI Ambassador says he will strive to make the Governor-General and the I Believe Initiative proud, and was extremely grateful that he was chosen to represent the programme.

“I feel good. It’s an honour really, because I will be able to serve in a wider scope with music that I plan to carry out,” he tells JIS News.

IBI is an arm of the Governor-General’s Programme for Excellence. The values-based programme, launched in 2011, serves to motivate and inspire youth to believe in themselves, achieve their God-given potential and to give service to their country.

Since the launch, nearly 250 ambassadors from various backgrounds have been inducted to serve their fellowmen and to participate in the development of Jamaica.

Speaking at the ceremony, the Governor-General said he was pleased with the activities undertaken by the previous ambassadors, and is looking forward to the “great initiatives” that will be implemented by the newly installed youth representatives.