Musical showcase to benefit teens
(CNS Local Life): The Business and Professional Women’s Club of Grand Cayman will be hosting two musical showcases this weekend in support of the TAYA (Teen and Young Adult) Lounge in Estella’s Place, which is part of the Cayman Islands Crisis Centre. The Friday, 30 August fundraising event, which will take place at The Lodge and is open to ages 18 and over, will feature visiting hip hop artist Theolodge and local talent.
The following evening at the Harquail Theatre will be open to all ages with a $10 admission fee per person (which includes a raffle ticket). The raffle will be held during the Saturday night Youth Talent Showcase, which will feature teens from the TAYA Lounge who will have worked with Theolodge and local performers to create the evening’s programme.
“Our teens are super excited about working with these talented recording artists and coming up with original music that they will perform at the Youth Musical Showcase,” said Natalie Baldwin, Young BPW president and coordinator of the TAYA (teen and young adult) Lounge, in a press release about the new initiative.
“Music is an integral part of the teens’ lives. They were crushed last year when a well-known rapper in Florida that they admired was murdered. This is how this initiative came about. We were brainstorming together on what they could do and the idea of a talent show came up. We are grateful to Theolodge and the local recording artists for offering their talents to help the teens put this together.”
Since BPW Grand Cayman was established in 1976, it has initiated female-empowerment projects including the Silent Witness March for victims of domestic violence and bullying, 16 Days of Activism against Gender Violence, financial literacy campaigns, health and wellness campaigns, the Annie Huldah Bodden Lecture Series and educational scholarships to Caymanian women in need.
“Young BPW members, who are club members under the age of 35, have been trying to come up with initiatives for our community that make an impact on the younger generations,” Baldwin said. “We thought that this one was a perfect fit for us.
“The objective of these musical showcases is to inspire at-risk youth in our community that you can follow your dreams in a healthy way,” she said, adding, “Studies have shown that at-risk youth who are given access to the arts out of school have better academic results, better workforce opportunities, and more community engagement.”
Theo Jones, better known by his stage name “Theolodge”, is a rising hip hop star from Orlando, Florida, who has performed around the world. His message is one of hope and hard work to achieve one’s goals. He is a former professional basketball player. Theo has many years of experience hosting showcases to feature up and coming recording artists and young talent. He said he is all about “hard work, keeping clean and keeping it positive”, adding, “This is the message that I want to share with the teens in Cayman.”
For more information about the events, call Natalie Baldwin at 321-5129 or email natalie.baldwin@cicc.ky
Category: Community, Events, Local News, Youth
