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NCF invests in artistes’ development

The National Cultural Foundation’s (NCF) is stepping up its support for people involved in the cultural industry at all levels.

The Foundation did so recently when it held its Artistes Development Workshop to equip those interested in exploring new possibilities, pathways and imaginations to feed their ambitions.

The workshop, which was coordinated externally by artiste manager Sonia Mullin, is one of a collection of initiatives which the NCF committed to hosting back in March at the launch of the Crop Over Festival.

At that time, the Foundation revealed that due to the cancellation of this year’s Soca Monarch competition, the production money of that show would be redirected with a heavy focus on artistes’ development.

Marketing Officer of the NCF, Paula Jackman was on hand to share insight about marketing and what was needed to develop one’s personal brand.

She advised the artistes that the basis of building a brand was not trying to target every single person, because that would be a futile venture, rather they must know who they want to target and stick with it.

Additionally, she discussed the concept of flipping your weakness and instead use it as a positive. Jackman suggested that the first step to overcoming this challenge was being honest with yourself about what your weaknesses were.

“Take your weakness and spin it on its head and figure out how you’re going to work with it. It amazes me how many people I meet in the industry when they get off stage, I can barely hear them but when they are on stage. [That’s because] they’ve found a way to channel these huge parts of themselves so that we get to enjoy them entertaining. Don’t worry about what your weaknesses are, just figure out how you’re going to work on them,” Jackman advised.

A host of emerging and established artistes were in attendance at the workshop which was held at the Sagicor School of Business, Cave Hill Campus. The sessions were attended by: Junior Monarch contestants, performers on Soca 4.0 icon teams and artistes on the Calypso Forward project.

Some of the best in their respective fields, were on hand to, share advice, behind-the-scene insight, some of the secrets to longevity in the business and building a successful brand with participants.

Among those providing mentorship were: Cultural Ambassador The Most Honourable Stedson Red Plastic Bag Wiltshire, performer/producer Damien Hypasounds Etienne, branding specialist Matthew Fewwture Ashby, soca artist and entrepreneur Faith Callendar and social media strategist Stephanie Chase.

In addition, presentations were also made by designers Pauline Bellamy and Rhaj Paul; stylist Candis Broome as well as beauty brand and make up artistry company REI Fashion Academy.

Seasoned entertainers such as Edwin Yearwood and Terencia TC Coward were also present at the event.

NCF has pioneered many ways to support artistes as they develop their ambitions, and it intends to offer other such spaces for artistes to broaden, invent and evolve. (PR)

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CIBC Caribbean team cleans Drill Hall Beach

A team of about 50 volunteers from CIBC Caribbean and their families joined hundreds around the world on Saturday 21^st September for the start of the International Coastal Clean-up – the world’s largest annual volunteer effort created to tackle and clean up increasing levels of trash and debris which are impacting our delicate marine environment.

Armed with gloves and lots of energy, the team assembled on the Drill Hall Beach, St. Michael from as early as 6.30a.m., and with the help of the crew from the Caribbean Youth Environment Network (CYEN) they started the task of collecting trash left by people who use the popular beach.

*Jacquelyn Boyce (right) marks off the items brought in by her team as they collect the debris*

The Barbados International Coastal Clean-up (BICC) is an annual nationwide volunteer beach cleanup event which is coordinated by Barbados’ Caribbean Youth Environment Network (CYEN), a non-profit organization. This year the cleanup for Barbados will take place every Saturday until the end of October in an attempt to tackle and prevent the damage being done to our local marine environment by trash and debris on our beautiful beaches.

*The CIBC Caribbean team armed with the gloves and bags just before setting off on their clean-up mission*

On Saturday, all materials collected were carefully catalogued and recorded as the CYEN team uses this information to report into the international network to which they belong, about the items found on beaches across the region.

Within a two-hour window, the CIBC Caribbean team had collected 108.39 kgs of garbage which included food wrappers and containers, plastic beverage bottles, clothing, pieces of glass, cups, plates, grocery bags, micro plastics and bottle caps. They also removed pieces of wood and a discarded office chair with wheels. The group also moved the fallen dry palm tree fronds to a large pile for further removal.

*Sean Bostic and Krystle Maynard (right holding card) present the sponsorship card to Shannon Weekes and Jabari Jones of the CYEN*

“The cleanup at Drill Hall Beach highlights the ongoing commitment of Barbadians to safeguarding our coastal environment. As we work together to remove harmful debris, we not only protect our marine ecosystems but also strengthen our communities. Each piece of litter removed is a step toward a healthier, more sustainable future for Barbados, and we are proud to have CIBC contributing to this vital cause year after year. This effort is a reminder that protecting our beaches is not just an annual event but a shared responsibility for all of us,” stated National Coordinator for the CYEN in Barbados Shannon Weekes.

The bank also took the opportunity to present the CYEN with a donation towards their work in keeping the beaches clean by organising the clean-up exercises this year. The super-size credit card was presented by Krystle Maynard from the Treasury Department and Sean Bostic Senior Manager, Business Analysis, Performance & Analytics.

This is the third year that the bank has participated in the beach cleanup. Other beaches they have tackled include Sam Lord’s Castle Beach, St. Philip and Pirate’s Cove Beach in Bridgetown. (PR)

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VENEZUELANS TO VOTE SUNDAY JULY 28

Venezuela’s opposition candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez, says he trusts the country’s military to ensure respect for the result of Sunday’s presidential election. Speaking during a press conference on Friday, Mr. Gonzalez declared that the Opposition, is going to win because millions of Venezuelans want change.

Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, has attracted significant support, even from former supporters of the ruling socialist party.

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Mr Deejay first on stage at Finals

First-timer to the competition Mr Deejay will be start the competition when the Courtesy Garage Pic O De Crop Finals comes of next Friday, August 2 at the National Botanical Gardens at 8 p.m.

This is the first time in the history of the competition that a visually-impaired contestant has made it to the Finals. The Courtesy Garage Pic O De Crop Finals Draw was held Wednesday, July 24 at Courtesy’s Wildey showroom. There were no switches.

Reigning Monarch iWeb will perform at No. 15. I-Web was unable to attend the draw. However, his manager Brian Corbin was present and pulled on his behalf. TC pulled for Tae who came later while Merle Niles pulled for Biggie Irie who was present. The other finalists were present as well as tent managers, relatives andwell-wishers.

National Cultural Foundation Chief Executive Officer Carol Robers announced that the Finals will be streamed to Barbadians free of cost as a gift for the 50^th anniversary of Crop Over. Courtesy Garage’s Regional Product Manager Samuel Gaston reaffirmed the company’s commitment to the festival.

*NCF CEO Carol Roberts (left) (EDIT) Courtesy Garage’s Regional Product Manager Samuel Gaston and Acting General Manager Andrez Greene.*

The draw took place in the Courtesy Garage showroom where the 2024 Nissan E Power X-Trail was on show. This year the winner of the Courtesy Garage Pic O De Crop Competition has the option of driving away a brand new Nissan vehicle valued at $136 000 or take $100 000 in cash. Second place gets $40 000;

third place $20 000 and fourth place takes home $15 000. 5^th place gets $10 000;