Youth Arts Jamboree to begin next month

This year’s Youth Arts Jamboree, a cultural development programme dedicated to young people, will be begin next month.

The programme is organised by Gibraltar Cultural Services and activities offered are all geared for children and young people aged between two and 25 years old.

The Jamboree will be held from February 17 to March 6, 2020. Some events will continue out of this timeframe, including the Youth Open Day that has been scheduled for Sunday, May 17.

This year’s programme offers specific workshops for young people in a variety of disciplines, from creative writing and poetry, to drama, music, fine art, movement, horticulture and yoga.

The aim is to invest in young people, offering opportunities for growth and development.

The sessions will be fun and educational, some targeted at beginners and others more specialised and focused.

Some of the events are open to the young public, with others organised with educational establishments and youth groups to maximise the benefit of the session and its reach.

“It gives me great pleasure to present the full and varied development programme that has been produced by Gibraltar Cultural Services,” said the Minister for Culture Dr John Cortes.”

“It is imperative that we invest in our youth so that we can have more young people in cultural activities, and in turn, we strive to produce the cultural, youth and heritage leaders of the future.”

“We need more young people involved in all forms of activities covering the Humanities spectrum. The Government believes that this Jamboree, is a very important development programme for Gibraltar, as it will provide a platform that will contribute to our community’s cultural growth.”

“I look forward to the participation of many of our youth in this unique Jamboree.”

Mayor of Gibraltar, John Gonçalvez, will once again lead visits to the historic City Hall, with GCS combining these with art tours of the Mario Finlayson Art Gallery housed within.

This year these tours will not be exclusively held within the Jamboree month to allow for more visits to the Mayor’s Parlour.

“We are once again working on offering live chat and performance sessions with local established musicians relaying their life experiences,” GCS said in a statement.

“An opportunity to share in the joys and successes of some of Gibraltar’s best, an opportunity to learn from them.”

“Hoping to invest in future skills, the programme will offer opportunities in photography, and sound and light for theatre. A few placements have been funded and made available for young people wishing to learn or further improve their skills in these areas. These programmes will be provided by the Gibraltar Photographic Society, and GCS.”

Other events will include the established art, dance and music competitions, Heritage Trust (WWII and Northern Defences) and Gibraltar Museum tours and the World Book Day celebrations, amongst others.

The Art treasure hunt featuring Gibraltar’s leading art galleries has been re-vamped so that youth groups and young people and their families may appreciate the work of local artists and the interesting buildings they are housed within.

The walk takes you on a journey from Casemates via Irish Town to John Mackintosh Square, incorporating some of the Street Art too.
“An effort has been made to introduce new sessions for different age groups, with some of our popular workshops making a return too,” said GCS.

“Innovations this year include yoga for toddlers, guitar maintenance and song writing, capoeira and stomp-like musical workshops, drama therapy, a flower arranging session, and clay workshops.”