The Hub gets revved in its community programmes

THE CREATIVE ARTS centre based in Bequia called ‘The Hub” is upbeat about activities in that field over the last two months which it described as being wild, creative and productive.

“Things have been in full swing at our Creative Arts Centre,” the organisation said in a release. “We resumed painting classes for both youth and adults every Tuesday which continues to be an exciting weekly offering to our public. With funding support from Action Bequia, we also completed the second round of our Higher Vibrations music program and graduated a total of 10 Bequians from all ages and backgrounds. “Participants were guided to cultivate their music skills, build an understanding of their vocal range and projection abilities, and experience recording in a music studio,” the release continued.

It said the end goal was to create a collaborative song utilising the skills gained and knowledge learned.

“Each participant crafted their own lyrics and sang their respective parts to a beat produced by our Creative Director and Higher Vibrations Facilitator, Colin Peters. Both groups came together and titled the song ‘Changes’, reflecting on the challenging times we continue to live in”. Their hope is for it to be received as therapeutic and uplifting for all who listen.

The organisation said while the sessions culminated in early February, Peters continues to offer weekly voluntary classes to the graduates. “It is our goal to offer more music workshops as part of our regular programming and help ensure Bequia’s musical talents continue to emerge and flourish. The song is currently being mixed and mastered, and we are all excited for its anticipated release this April,” the release continued.

Because of the success of the workshop, The Hub has drafted on board 21 year old Dravin Peters, a graduate as their inaugural Music Studio Intern for 2022. Peters is said to be an aspiring songwriter- producer and is a core youth at The Hub who will be mentored by Colin Peters during the yearlong internship to hone and grow his skill set and talents.

Dravin said: “I am so thrilled that this is actually happening for real, to have guidance to achieve more musical capability on a professional level. The gift of being given the time to master my craft in an authentic way without having to prove anything to anyone, feels amazing”.

“This is the first step on my journey to becoming a real musician, songwriter and producer. I look forward to putting Bequia and SVG on the map with multiple genres of music,” he added As summer approaches, the organisation said it “will be preparing to launch more of our psychosocial programs as well as our first ever Creative Recovery Summer Camp – bringing much needed activities around play, exploration, healing, learning and knowledge transfer to Bequians of all ages”.

“We are also working to build the foundational blocks for our community radio station.”

The organisation expressed thanks to its donors, facilitators, supporters and partners for enabling it to be resourced to do its much needed community work.