Voice's Far from Finished Foundation, an outreach for youth

Aaron “Voice” St Louis placed his hand over his chest as he said, “This entire movement is something dear to my heart.”

The movement he was referring to was the Vibes with Voicey – The Far from Finished Foundation and the launch of the team’s headquarters on French Street, Woodbrook on Thursday.

“It definitely is a dream come true. It is something that my team and I have been thinking about for some years, well.”

The Vibes with Voicey team – composed of DJ Elon (Baker), Salty (Dillon Charles), Akeem (Newton), Travis World and Major Penny – was present at the opening, as well as the MP for Port of Spain South, Keith Scotland and temporary government senator and youth development coordinator for the Ministry of Youth Development and National Service, Nadle Young.

Voice said the covid19 pandemic was tough for everyone and being able to bring joy by doing Instagram Live shows and competitions during that time was a blessing. It was from this the headquarters became a reality.

“My friends, Jared (Major) Penny, Elon, Travis (Hosein), Salty, would go on Instagram Live every Thursday and our main goal would always be to bring joy to the lives of all those who have been affected in some way or the other."

He said the foundation would have its office and store to sell merchandise as well as tickets for events. The space would also be used to assist young people and artistes in and around the area.

This was his vision, he added.

“It is not just about us. It is about the youth of the nation. We have a lot of young fans who look up to us and it is truly our goal and inspiration to motivate, inspire them and let them know out of anything, something positive can come out of it.”

He always felt there was a higher being saying to him it was something he needed to stick to and stand by while doing the Instagram Lives during the pandemic.

“From that Instagram Live we have been able to do a lot of competitions. We have been able to do a singing competition, a talent show. Actually one of the artistes who won the talent competition, one of the artistes, she is on my first ever album, a superb talent who I believe is going to be huge, not just in our culture but the world.”

Her name is Carrissia, he added.

Voice said his Instagram Live gave young artistes a chance to be heard and seen.

The social media shows also helped the team to do its first US tour going to the cities of Atlanta, Boston, New York and Miami.

He thanked his friends and well-wishers for their support.

His sister and office manager Adana St Louis-Gomez described how the foundation came to be.

She said, “The whole aim of Voice, his friends and the organisations born from that were to uplift. We were plagued with so much bad news, so much sickness and it was like enough, ‘We want to smile, we want to laugh, we want to feel good about something.”

In December of 2022, The Far from Finished Foundation was started and that organisation aims to be a bridge between an individual’s current situation and self sufficiency.

St Louis-Gomez said the organisation also partnered with the San Juan community police to donate 25 tablets. The foundation also distributed hampers at Christmas and the July/August holiday.

The foundation also aims to get a homework centre, and tutors for it, in San Juan started at the end of the year.

She said as the foundation grew the team wanted a home to be able to continue all of their work, French Street is the centre of that work.

She said the team was cognisant that they achieved much of what they did through the people who tuned in every week and wanted to give back to the community.

Scotland said the impact of the pandemic on young people was underestimated by some, if not most people.

He said people did not appreciate the psychological effect physical isolation had on the young.

“It is ironic because they communicate now via fingers, sometimes they are in the same room and instead of speaking to each other, they communicate virtually. But nothing can outdo physical interaction.”

Young people have different challenges and he added that what one generation could have taken on the chin, another generation could not.

Scotland said anything that was being done to lift the spirit particularly in the hub of the constituency of Port of Spain south and Woodbrook, he supported.

Young represented Minister of Youth Development and National Service Foster Cummings.

He said the ministry was looking on at the team and the ministry was changing its communication to look and feel like what youth wanted to hear.

Members of the Vibes with Vociey team actively worked with its youth caravan, he said.

“On several levels, there is a symbiotic relationship between the Ministry of Youth and the team…”

Young said the ministry intends to develop a Youth Got Talent show with celebrity judges before the year is over.

It intends to work with the team and others to have this done.

“Even people like Voice would have appeared on other shows like Synergy Soca Star and people would understand that sometimes the winner is not the winner. Sometimes the winner is the person who had to go and try again…,” he said.

Young said finding and developing talent in TT was something the ministry could not do on its own and needed to partner with others in the industry to achieve.