Youth Hostel hosts open day on arts and craft, hospitality
School is in recess, but instructors at the Youth Hostel on the Western Highway are busy with various activities to challenge the minds of the youth in their charge. This past Friday, they hosted an open day to the public and family of the teens. Program Coordinator Melissa Miralda, explained some of the crafts the students are learning.
Because school is out, the instructors at the Youth Hostel on the Western Highway had to engage in various activities to challenge the mind of the youths in their charge on these hot summer days. On Friday, they hosted an open day to the public and family of the teens. Melissa Miralda, explained some of the craftwork that the students were learning.
Melissa Miralda, Instructor, Youth Hostel
“In the last week we had arts and craft and hospitality management. Hospitality was taught by one of our own officers, Miss Ivy Pelayo, and arts and craft between myself and miss Oshon. The Arts and Craft entailed beading, bags, painting and poetry, you name it.”
Shirlene Arnold, Student
“Everybody mek beads if dehn feel like and basically dah just coordination because yoh know some people noh really know fi coordinate things? Yoh have others weh wah help yoh out if yoh di fall down. Yoh always have somebody fi di bring yoh up so di thing could look good so people could want buy it.”
Melissa Miralda
“The kids pick which group they preferred to go in. so we had a group for beading and they did the beading themselves. We allow them to be as creative as possible. I guess you saw some of the work that the kids did. The bags, they are quick learners so as you teach them one thing they run with it and they are able to do it themselves.”
Some of the youths preferred learning about hospitality management, a fast growing area within the tourism sector.
Crystal Mccullough, Student
“We set tables, we do napkins, we make cold line stuff like lemon pie, cheese cake, and things like that; things weh yoh noh need fi bake. But most of all, I dress as a waitress right. I dah di waitress fi todeh and then we just help decorate, design out ah our own stuff. Basically, we noh like buy curtains and thing we just make it.”
Laura Che, Student
“I feel good, I feel excited because dehn teach yoh how fi fix table, how fi set spoon, fork and knife.”
Brendan Arzu, Student
“The hospitality class, weh we learn how fi do dah set di table, set di rag, make di pope hat. We just learn how fi put di fork and spoon, everything pah one side. We learn how fi cook, learn how fi decorate the table, learn how fi sit down inna di chairs dehn. we just basically learn how fi eat round di table, manners, everything and basically just be you.”
The students listened to presentations from NOBCA, PASMO, as well as the Police Department on social topics that affect their peers. They also learnt to design and craft handbags for the local market.
Jose Sanchez
“How do you make the bags, they look complicated?”
Shirlene Arnold
“Basically, yoh know yoh have di mesh. Yoh have different patters; yoh could have di box as you can see over that side, yoh have di zigzag and various designs. When yoh done full up di whole thing yoh just have wah special mathematician procedure weh oh use fi add on di sides to it and ih shape out as wah square and den yoh just put on di handle and ih wah look like wah real bag weh everybody wah want buy.”
And while they hope to sell the bags for twenty-five dollars, they have enough activities to keep them busy for the summer. Reporting for News Five, Jose Sanchez.
