The Trinidad and Tobago Music Stars Steel Orchestra panyard is the latest project in the Panyard Upgrade program.
Speaking yesterday at the Chinapoo Community Center at the handover ceremony of the recently built Trinidad and Tobago Steel Music Stars Orchestra garden, Dr Jeffrey Reyes, board member, Eastern Port Development Company of Spain (EPoS), said when the government it invests in steel pans, it invests in the education of young people and the social cohesion of the community.
“Pan can be used to develop knowledge, address deviant behavior and improve memory. This facility in Chinapoo is an opportunity for you to bring the community together,” Reyes said.
Speaking at the ceremony, Housing Minister Camille Robinson-Regis said that kindergarten is an institution of discipline. ‘A yard is by no means an ordinary space. It is part of the community. It is here that the values of the community are given. It is here that stories of victory and stories of defeat repeat themselves. This is where elders are given the respect they deserve,” said Robinson-Regis.
She added, “The discipline of the garden can easily surpass that of a formal classroom, and the zeal and dedication of the boarders can easily rival the most brilliant scientist. This is where our representations of our cosmopolitan country are most present and where color and faith are syncopated like tenor notes and where beauty and brokenness grow stronger from each other,” said Robinson-Regis.
Obligation to give back
Robinson-Regis assured the youth that they can expect to see more government projects with youth in mind. ‘Under the Panyard Improvement programme, the EPoS Development Company has opened up new worlds for young people in kindergartens. EPoS has developed several gardens across communities in East Port of Spain today, on time and within budget, we are proud to deliver this garden to Stars Music, the people of Chinapoo, the people of Morvant and the people of East Port of Spain,’ she said.
She added, “I’m sure you understand that as we emerge from the Covid-19 pandemic, more and more will be happening in Trinidad and Tobago to ensure that the best will continue to be offered to you…. “
Robinson-Regis said, however, that young people have an obligation to give back and ‘be grateful to your country and lift others up, not just with words, but with meaningful and lasting support’.
Robin-Regis said the people of Eastern Port of Spain are builders and pioneers.
The citizens of Eastern Port of Spain deserve no less than what is offered to other communities throughout Trinidad and Tobago, regardless of which administration is occupying the seat of government. The people of Eastern Port of Spain have been pioneers, builders, creators and supporters of the culture of this great republic,” she said.
