00:00The President's Pan Camp will be running for the next six days, but the lessons those taking part in it
00:06can learn have the potential to last a lot longer than that.
00:10This year, the camp is taking place under the theme, Three Years, One Rhythm, A Future in Motion.
00:16It was conceptualized by President Christine Kangaloo, who has long hailed the pan-yad model as a means of rescuing
00:23young people and keeping them away from crime, which she believes many people still do not grasp.
00:29President Kangaloo indicates that summing it up to only music is placing it woefully short of its real ability.
00:37At its fullest, it serves at once as an educational plant, an industrial zone, a microeconomy and a civic anchor.
00:47Having proclaimed three states of emergency thus far based on threats of violent crime, President Kangaloo has this to say.
00:55That fact should give us all pause.
00:59Emergency measures may create necessary space for the state to confront immediate danger, but they cannot by themselves give a
01:08child a mentor, turn talent into skill, restore trust between neighbors, build a livelihood or teach people how to resolve
01:18conflict without violence.
01:20And as the focus lands here for the 26 participants of this year's cohort, President Kangaloo says it isn't strategic
01:28to pay attention to the pan-yads seasonally.
01:30I therefore call on the government and the wider public sector, the private sector, educational institutions, faith, communities, civil society,
01:40and the steel band movement itself to form a serious national compact around the pan-yard model.
01:48The public sector should recognize viable pan-yads as essential year-round community infrastructure.
01:56The private sector should move beyond short-term or seasonal sponsorship and make sustained investments in youth formation, technical training,
02:05and enterprise.
02:06Member of the Technical Committee, Colin Graves, says the pan-camp highlights the importance of investing in the youth.
02:12And one of our greatest joys has been seeing many of our former campers continue their journey by joining steel
02:19bands across Trinidad and Tobago.
02:21And I think the unofficial stats is about 80% of the campers so far have continued playing pan after
02:26being introduced to it the first time right here at the President's Pan Camp.
02:30Year one participant and member of the First Citizen Supernova, Antonia Paul, refers to herself as a living testimony as
02:38to the efficacy of the pan-camp.
02:40The experience led her to the junior panorama after what was initially a two-year break.
02:46Then, experienced my first ever large band experience this year, 2026.
02:52For the past two years, I have two junior panoramas and one large band experience under my belt and many
02:58more to look forward to in the future.
03:01In addition to this, I have been a part of the youth stage side, which has taken me to many
03:06in-house and outside gigs, strengthening my skills.
03:09This year, the camp is taking place inside of the President's House as part of the 150th anniversary of the
03:16architectural magnificence and the commemoration of 50 years of the presidency in the country.
03:33Alicia Boucher, TV6 News.
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