The government plans to expand opportunities for young people to get involved in culture and heritage, with a renewed push to roll out more dynamic programmes and community partnerships, according to Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office responsible for Culture, Senator Shantal Munro-Knight.
The Division of Culture is also inviting public feedback on how it can do more.
“What more can we give? Because today is also about your questions. It’s also about hearing from you how we can stretch more, go further, and deliver even better on the ground to make sure that culture connects,” she said at a Cultural Extravaganza hosted by the Barbados Museum on Tuesday.
Senator Munro-Knight pointed to children in attendance from the National Library Service camp, noting a growing interest among young people in cultural programmes.
She said: “Unless we are able to connect culture and what we do and the complete breadth of what we do within the division of culture and its contribution with the very young, then we will fail to embed that, to embed its importance and its value.”
The event also provided an opportunity for young people to sign up to become national heritage stewards.
“Under the National Register of Historic Places, but as well, perhaps more than that, helping to be part of the arms and legs and hearts of the division, working in your communities to make sure that you are able to identify those places and sites that are important to you and to your communities.”
Senator Munro-Knight also pointed to partnerships with educational institutions and plans for further opportunities.
“We’re hoping to do that a little bit better in order to be able to provide some expertise to young people, again, to be able to do conservation activities and very, very soon, the Division of Culture will be launching a scholarship programme as well. We’ll be giving scholarships to an international university as well for those that have an interest in culture and in reparations as well.”
The minister also praised the Barbados Landship on its inscription on the UNESCO list of the world’s intangible cultural assets, describing its young members as “heritage stewards”.
“They might not see themselves as that, but they are carrying on a tradition that is so important to Barbados and essentially it’s a demonstration of the work that the Division of Culture has been doing and will continue to do.”
She added that there are several avenues for young people to become involved in heritage work.
“Young people can come up. Other people as well can come up to be signed up to be heritage stewards, and as a heritage steward, then we provide you with training as well. You get to be able to go out with other experts as well to be mentored, you get then to be able again to work directly with communities here at the museum as well. There is training for actual tour guides as well, again, so that people and young people as well can be tour guides.”
Senator Munro-Knight said the Division of Culture, under which fall the National Library Service and the National Cultural Foundation, is committed to delivering more with greater impact.
“I know that all the managers here, when we get into our management meetings, and I stretch a little bit, and I say I want a little bit more and to give me some more and to push, I’m happy to say that they always respond.”
(LG)
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