By JoEllen Laryea
JAMAICA / CUBA – The UNESCO Programme Transcultura: Integrating Cuba, the Caribbean and the European Union through Culture and Creativity, funded by the European Union, hosts the event “IncYOUTHbator: boosting youth’s creative potential for a sustainable future”, which will take place in Kingston, Jamaica, from 29 to 30 June 2022.
This meeting will aim at strengthening the entrepreneurial skills of young professionals from the cultural and creative industries in the Caribbean through knowledge exchange and networking among peers and experts from the region and the European Union.
Transcultura has launched a call for applications which will select up to eight young entrepreneurs, with innovative projects in their early stage of development, from the three linguistic areas covered by the Programme (English-, French- and the Spanish-speaking Caribbean) who will be able to participate in the event in Kingston. The Transcultura Programme will cover the travel and accommodation costs of the selected participants (see the call for applications here).
The IncYOUTHbator event gives young professionals from the cultural and creative industries the opportunity to connect, create synergies, receive mentoring, and exchange experiences and relevant practices among peers and with renowned cultural entrepreneurs from the Caribbean. Representatives of Caribbean and European incubators and accelerators will also participate in the meeting, to foster the engagement among the young entrepreneurs and inspire their creative ideas.
The IncYOUTHbator call is addressed to creative entrepreneurs aged between 18 and 35 and who are nationals and permanent residents of one of the 17 member countries of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), the Caribbean Forum (CARIFORUM) and the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS): Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Montserrat, St Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago.
Transcultura encourages applications from women entrepreneurs and will give special consideration to projects with an inclusive and gender-equality approach.
Boosting youth creativity for a diverse and sustainable future
The creative economy is one of the most dynamic sectors with a huge potential for socio-economic development. The Caribbean region, with its multiplicity of traditions, languages and historical links, is in a privileged position to tap this potential. The UNESCO Transcultura Programme harnesses this diversity to promote integration and cooperation in the Caribbean and the European Union through culture and creativity.
In alignment with this goal, the IncYOUTHbator professional meeting aims to strengthen a diverse and thriving cultural and creative ecosystem by providing opportunities for young creatives and cultural professionals to develop their careers and business projects in the cultural and creative industries.
