- NEWSDAY.CO.TT - A la Une - 15/Jul 03:50

President pitches panyard model for national progress

As the President’s Pan Camp resumes for the second year, President Christine Kangaloo says the values of perseverance and teamwork nurtured by the panyard model can have a profound impact on society. As 25 students aged 16-18 from police youth clubs, Girl Guides, Scouts, Cadets and the Cotton Tree Foundation take part in the five-day programme, from July 14-18, Kangaloo says they will benefit from more than just learning the basics of playing the national instrument. In addition to mentorship sessions by Guinness World Record Holder Joshua Regrello, Miss World TT 2025 Anna-Lise Nanton, Justice Gillian Lucky and Freetown Collective’s Muhammed Muwakil, the programme promises to foster discipline, teamwork and resilience. The students will not only be trained by a team of pannists, but will also be challenged to put on a performance at the closing ceremony of the programme despite having know pan playing experience prior to the camp. Reflecting on the inaugural Pan Camp, said she witnessed firsthand the evolution of those students. “Last year, 21 young pan pioneers, none of whom had ever played the pan before stepped up to the challenge of becoming the very first cohort of the President’s Pan Camp. “Over the course of just five days, the educators, mentors, support staff and all of us witnessed something truly extraordinary, we watched as these 21 young people experience what can only be described as a metamorphosis… many of them began the week uncertain, curious and a little shy shy… but day by day, something beautiful began to unfold. The quiet ones found their voices. "The unsure grew in confidence. The hesitant committed themselves. And by the end of the week, they emerged from their cocoons, ready and eager to take flight for the very first time.“With just five days of instruction, they mastered and delivered a spirited and unforgettable performance of Mical Teja’s DNA at the closing ceremony.” She said the Pan Camp serves to remind citizens of the importance and necessity of transformation for each individual and society as a whole. “It begins with a decision to do something different to identify and to understand the challenges around us, and to be willing to look inwardly to improve our capacity to meet those challenges head-on. That is exactly what the pioneers of the steelpan did. “That is exactly what all of us must do in order for us collectively to inch closer to the kind of Trinidad and Tobago we all envision. “Just imagine the national transformation that could unfold if each of us committed ourselves to collaboration and learning, and if we gave ourselves space to let our innate creativity and resourcefulness take flight. Imagine the ripple effects across education, crime and community development. Imagine the challenges that we could overcome with courage, and the obstacles that we could overcome with unity. Imagine the kind of nation we could become.” She said this was the message of the pan camp and invited the wider population to start their own transformations – in their homes, workplaces, communities and hearts. The post President pitches panyard model for national progress appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.