Writer, producer creates emotional safe-space through animation, theatre

THE issue of juvenile delinquency continues to linger even with the best efforts of the Ministry of Education and the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service.

Apart from specialised in-class programmes and greater police presence at “high-risk” schools, there is a need for a more unique solution.

Steven Edwards, writer, director, producer, voice-over actor and founder of Theatre for Tot to Teens feels confident that exposure to the arts is key.

Speaking to Sunday Newsday on the launch of his smart phone film competition, Edwards said this simple approach can address the core of gang-related and school violence, subsequently triggering a behaviour change among children across TT.

Edwards wants to give young people a positive reason to go viral.

The competition, in partnership with artiste Austin "Super Blue" Lyons is open to people between ages five and 25 years.

Participants must produce a music video using Super Blue’s song Unite to portray unity and harmony. Submissions must be uploaded via Theatre for Tot to Teens website. The competition will be launched on Ash Wednesday – February 22 – and will run to April 24. Winners will be announced on May 24.

According to Edwards, “The competition is a great way to engage young people and empower them to take action against violence. By having them create their own music videos, the competition teaches them to express themselves creatively and think critically about the issues of violence in schools and their communities.”

Initially, the song Unite was produced for an animation film called Why the Fox Lives in London. It is being produced by Edwards and it teaches young children to work in unity, harmony and respect and love each. It would be released by the end of 2023.

The competition aims to use the power of music, film, and the prominence of social media to raise awareness and promote a message of unity and peace as a short-term remedy to school violence.

Having invested over a decade working with children and young adults, specifically those labelled as trouble makers in schools and in their communities, he said it’s always disheartening when children go viral for the wrong reasons.

He told Sunday Newsday, “I decided that we (stakeholders) could do something together to kind of work in tandem with some of the work that we're doing now. Because in order to roll out the
programmes,
that will take a while, but this is something that we can actively engage the creative juices of young persons and have them go viral for non-violent behaviour.”

The prizes from several categories, including Best Film, People's Choice Award, Best Animation, Best Social Media Campaign, Best Tik Tok Dance and Largest Group on Video, come with cash, electronic devices, animation scholarships and a feature in the official Unite music video.

Edwards owns one of the largest platforms in the Caribbean that produces creative content for children as young as five years old. He sees animation and the arts as a preventative measure to delinquency and inappropriate behaviour among children.

“This project is a part of a much larger solution. So this is just the tip of the iceberg,” he added.

The plan is to work with NGO groups and train them on developing effective programmes dealing with school violence.

“School of violence is just a symptom of a much bigger problem...I'm taking a lot more of the entrepreneurial approach to create funds for NGOs so that they could do the work that I used to do and even different and better. They have to be prepared for the time that they are in now.”

He invited all schools across the country to get involved to strengthen the efforts to make school violence and delinquency a thing of the past.

“The more that I do television series and the more that I do film, I would be able to employ people who would have come through this programme and encourage more persons to get into theatre to get into film and create an industry that these schools would be able to have an opportunity to use this skills that they do have."

He said: “These participants will have an avenue to continue the work they do even after the competition. Then, there'll be opportunities for a lot more people and then there'll be less inclination for them to get involved with crime and violence but instead be able to express themselves in a healthy way.”