Institute of Jamaica Offering Summer Programmes

The Institute of Jamaica is offering summer programmes in the visual and performing arts, to young persons between six and 18 years of age.
The programme, which will be held under the theme: ‘Defend the Positive.Don’t Stop At All’, will take place from July 9 to 27 at the Institute’s East Street, Half-Way-Tree and Greater Portmore Junior Centres.
Acting Director of the Programme Co-ordination Division at the Institute, Jacqueline Bushay, told JIS News that the theme was chosen because the institute recognized that, “in many ways, our children and young people are bombarded with many negative and contradictory messages and exposed to conflict in so many aspects of their lives.”
Against this background, she noted that the visual and performing arts would be used as an antidote or “therapy for young persons.”
The Junior Centre programme seeks to position itself as an agent of change and is using the forum to provide young people with the means to acquire and practise the values, attitudes, knowledge and skills associated with tolerance, conflict management, dialogue and peace building.
As part of the programme, participants will also be engaged in activities, such as art and craft, dance, drumming, speech and drama, heritage fun time, music, storytelling and sign language. Also included are presentations from several public and private sector organizations that are associated with the chosen theme.
The summer programme will take place from 9:00 a.m. to 1:45 p.m. Mondays to Fridays. The cost is $750 per week per child with a discounted cost of $700 each for three or more children from the same household.
The Junior Centre was established with a mandate to provide the facilities for young people to acquire knowledge and develop skills in the various art forms, so as to foster their intellectual, aesthetic and cultural growth.