Targhyl Thomas at Training
Meet 26-year-old Targhyl Bob Thomas from one of Grenada’s most socially vulnerable communities – Mount Horne, St. Andrew. He is a 2010 secondary school graduate with nine (9) CXC subjects and a 2012 college graduate in Information Technology.
“Although this was a great academic achievement, it did not align with my passion and desire” says Targhyl. He further notes, “As I advanced academically, I felt disconnected from studies, since my passion is artistic skills – graphics, painting, drawing and performing arts, but it was my parents desire for me to obtain academic certificates.”
Although he was introduced to music production at high school, artistic skills were not regarded as equally relevant as an academic pathway. However, Targhyl pursued his passion as a bass player and drummer at a local church.
Targhyl recounted that despite having several jobs after graduating from College, including a temporary Teacher of Information Technology at a local high school through the Imani Programme, he remained restless. The desire to pursue his passion for performance and production was stymied by social circumstances and such a profession was considered unconventional.
NO LONGER LOST…
“I was not aware of mentorship programmes for persons wishing to pursue arts and there were times I felt lost. I sorted out opportunities to play with music bands while trying to navigate how to pursue my passion as a profession”, he communicates. Then, Targhyl noticed a social media advertisement about Community Performing Arts by La Boucan Creative Centre supported by SkYE UKaid. With encouragement from family and friends, he visited the La Boucan Centre and applied for the course and was accepted. The training course covered stage performance, vocals, dance, all aspects of production including sound systems and lighting. Targhyl has successfully completed the course and advanced in the profession of Arts – thanks to SkYE’s support.
With a new lease on life, Targhyl says, “Throughout training I felt at home, at peace and accepted. The structure of the course was very comprehensive and thorough, I gained an appreciation for our Grenadian culture. Characteristically, I am a shy and reserved person but life skills together with technical skills training, forced me and others beyond our comfort to discover our full potential.”
He is giving back by currently assisting the Centre with establishing CVQ Level 2 Multimedia Arts and Graphic Arts training programmes. Also, he has registered to undertake Accreditation of Prior Learning (APL) for Live Sound and Record Engineering to become an instructor/trainer for Live Sound and Record Engineering.
Targhyl enthusiastically notes, “In the long term, I hope to own a studio to support community and school programs in artistic skills. I aspire to mentor children at primary and secondary schools in elements of performing arts to provide the kind of exposure that I didn’t have and to dispel the misapprehensions about the Arts as a career. I am encouraging other friends and relatives to register for the next cohort of training and hope to support to the La Boucan Centre throughout the training.”
“I am very grateful for SkYE and UKaid for the opportunity to have accessed that training; it was life changing!”
FACTS
The Skills for Youth Employment (SkYE) is a four-year, UKaid funded programme to provide certified skills training for 6,000 disadvantaged young people, including those challenged by disability, in four Eastern Caribbean countries: Dominica, Grenada, St Lucia and St Vincent & the Grenadines. The Programme will develop a more productive and inclusive workforce in sectors with good economic growth potential.
SkYE is supporting national training authorities and training providers to make systemic improvements to the development, delivery and quality assurance of technical, vocational education and training (TVET) in the four focus islands through targeted capacity building.
