Students from St Jude’s Home for Girls and secondary schools throughout Belmont were among 60 youth treated to a two-day art workshop during March 8-9 in honour of International Women’s Day (IWD).

The event, Inspired and Paint, was hosted by Republic Bank and Chosen Hands. Chosen Hands is a non-governmental organisation (NGO) of mobile artists and professionals who use art as the vehicle for personal development and mentorship of youth and to help them navigate sensitive issues through creative self-expression, a media release said.

The first day of the workshop, which was held at the Art Society of Trinidad and Tobago, was dedicated to 20 participants from St Jude’s School for Girls. Inspirational remarks on the use of art as a medium for expressing thoughts too challenging to articulate with words, were provided by Chosen Hands' creative director Anika Plowden-Corentin and art mentor Gabrielle Gibbons.

Karen Yip Chuck, first woman vice president of Republic Bank, spoke to the IWD theme of Embracing Equity and emphasised to students the need to believe in their worth and their dreams.

Yip Chuck along with staff members spent the morning with the girls for an interactive session painting T-shirts designed by Gibbons in keeping with the Embracing Equity theme.

[caption id="attachment_1005758" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Vice president Republic Bank Karen Yip Chuck, left, receives a token of appreciation from creative director of Chosen Hands Anika Plowden-Corentin for sponsoring Inspired and Paint, an International Women's Day workshop that sought to explore the theme Embracing Equity and encourage artistic expression among girls. - Courtesy Damian Luk Pat[/caption]

On day two, 40 students from Belmont secondary schools participated in the workshop. These schools have worked closely with Chosen Hands for the past three years for various art and wellness initiatives. Chosen Hands' directors Arveon Prout and Leela Ramsingh spoke to the girls on the IWD theme. The workshop was supported by Chosen Hands art mentors Tracey Alonzo, Chantal Quamina, Hannah Grosberg, Deborah Clement and Joy Luk Pat over the two days.

Republic Bank’s partnership with Chosen Hands for International Women’s Day was a notable collaboration providing the power to help vulnerable communities and equipping youth with the power to learn and succeed, the release said.

Karen Yip Chuck said, “Through our Power to Make a Difference programme, Republic Bank is pleased to support our nation’s youth in reaching their true potential. Let us embrace equity and use art as a tool for change, for empowerment and for a better future.”

In addition to the Inspired and Paint workshop Plowden-Corentin is hosting an art exhibition, entitled Inspired which embodies women who have made their mark in the midst of life’s challenges. The exhibition will run until March 17 at the Art Society, Federation Park.