KEEP D CULTURE is a culturally rooted performing arts program I developed to inspire, educate, and re-engage the youth of Trinidad and Tobago in the richness of their heritage. The initiative aims to foster national pride and cultural awareness by immersing participants in diverse expressions of local performing arts. By providing meaningful exposure and active participation, the program empowers youth to become the custodians and performers of our living traditions.

This initiative is grounded in the belief that sustained cultural engagement—especially among younger generations—is essential to the viability and growth of the local arts sector. Through a dynamic, competition-style format hosted in an inclusive, community-driven environment, participants are encouraged to express their creativity, develop confidence, and experience cultural celebration as both performers and cultural ambassadors.

KEEP D CULTURE also serves as a tool for community healing and social cohesion. By drawing on the unique cultural landscape of Trinidad and Tobago, the program promotes intergenerational knowledge transfer, reinforces traditional values, and nurtures a sense of belonging and shared identity. The relaxed yet structured setting fosters positive interactions and collaborative experiences, rekindling the village spirit of our ancestors through contemporary cultural production.

Beyond artistic development, this framework holds wider social relevance. It is adaptable for national and regional application as a preventative intervention against gang violence and youth disengagement. By offering an alternative avenue for expression, recognition, and community bonding, KEEP D CULTURE contributes to the restoration of peace, purpose, and pride within society.

Objectives and Benefits of this Project

In accordance to our mandate to foster community participation and traditional family life, as per the mission statements of both organizations, we believe this endeavor will:

1. 
   Saving our Children

Through the program, we provide children with a real-time experience that enables them to de-stress and take a break from the social and economic pressures of daily life. When children are under stress, they become more aggressive. The emotional thought process that helps people see past emotions like anger or disenfranchised and points toward optimism and enterprise is lessened in this kind of setting. For the attendees, dance, music, and pleasant human interaction serve as therapeutic aids.

2. Community Involvement:

Since the majority of participants are local children, this program fosters community involvement and solidarity. Everyone is highly supportive of an enterprise that benefits the youngsters. Matriarchal relationships in the community promote camaraderie, and traditional dance is valued historically because the region was formerly a Coco Estate. As your brand has created a safe space for this program, it can become a proprietary tool and a nice brand detail by encouraging civility and community spirit through family mitigation services through cultural connection.

3. Alleviate Poverty:

By ensuring that children receive a standard of nutrition that is valued by mothers, we can also take advantage of the chance to reduce poverty through corporate sponsorship at the meetings.

4. International Patronage:

Encourage the patronage of international and expatriate inhabitants within St. Augustine to create a niche market for financial inflow. Because it is home to the University of the West Indies and Hugh Wooding Law School, St. Augustine takes pride in being a “education city” and a central location for educating young minds. As such, it is well-known among professors and students as a hub. We think that the community’s standard of living may rise both domestically and globally by improving the lives of those who are innately situated in this area as indigenous community and direct enterprise to them through the exhibition of the Arts.

5.Safe Spaces for the Youth:

Establish a model for a “safe space” where young people can go to take part in activities that improve their lives and give their village a renewed sense of purpose. Youth in a community at high risk for gang violence or teenage pregnancy can benefit from this cultural derivative’s encouragement of constructive engagement, mentorship, and direction. Here’s a solution to the violence, domestic and otherwise, in our communities, which is also aligned to the mandate of your society

For this to all occur, we need funding. Personal funds have been the mainstay of support as the country’s economic state has brought much hardship. As more persons are attracted to the venture the call grows for prizes and payments for performers, as well as food, venue, travelling expenses. Many of the performers are children.

We are asking for support to make this a continued new reality for the youth

Sincerely

Stachenne Rousseau

Founder.