Winter Youth Art Camp at Drametse Central School, Mongar

‘Winter Youth Art Camp 2020’, a youth enrichment programme, based on the theme “Engaging Youth Creatively” is currently going on at Drametse Central School. The youth art camp commenced from January 6 and will be closed on January 12.

The Winter Youth Art Camp is inspired by the vision and the concerns of His Majesty the King about the younger generation leaving villages leading to the disappearance of very valuable and unique cultural heritage of our country.  One of the practical solutions to this issue would be to improve the lives of the people in villages and to drive that continual dwelling would still be an attractive prospect.

Winter Youth Art Camp is designed to inspire children living in the Drametse Gewog to achieve excellence in their creative life. The camp aims to explore and promote contemporary art, to promote social responsibilities and life skills through art and to enhance artistic expression and appreciation. It also intends to provide opportunities to the young school children to participate and develop their talents through artistic and socially productive activities during their winter vacation.

About 100 students coming from various schools such as Drametse CS, Narang PS, Waichure Extended Classroom, Trashiyangtse LSS, Tshenkharla CS, Bumdeling LSS, Tsangphugchen PS, Yadhi CS, Tshaling PS and Draktsho East of Kanglung.

The four main learning activities of the camp includes:

1. Introduction to Contemporary Arts:
   The participant-students were introduced to modern arts and its basic elements of pencil sketching, fundamental water colour and acrylic painting techniques. The art facilitator demonstrated and gave simple practicing and applying activities to create their own art works;
2. Introduction to Traditional Bhutanese Arts: Bhutanese education policy emphasizes on familiarizing students not only on modern trends and values but also with rich ancient traditions, values and cultures. Centered on such thematic concern, the camp attempted to inculcate basic knowledge and skills of Bhutanese arts and theirs educational values to participants.
3. English Poetry: Haiku Writing
   Thoughtful and catchy phrases and words are great combination with paintings and sketches of young learners. One of the facilitators gave basic coaching in writing modern English Haiku poems.
4. Paper and Hard Board Crafts
   One teacher from Trashiyangtse College of Zorig Chusum taught participants how to create painting and photograph frames, incense container, paper file bags, paper bags out of Bhutanese desho papers and hard paper boards made out of recycled papers.

Winter Youth Art Camp 2020 at Drametse Central School decided to go meatless for a week considering the ethical, religious, and environmental reasons. Children were also informed of significant benefits of being vegetarian. The vegetarianism and veganism has become a popular modern trend. Instead of meat, the camp substituted locally grown organic vegetables and diary produces.

Plastic pollution is one of biggest challenges of the 21st Century and every nation and state fights to eliminate this dangerous problem. Aimed towards supporting the movement of beating plastic pollution, VAST-Yangtse is adopting a small green initiative "SAY NO TO PLASTIC CARRY BAGS". Each participant received a free handmade tote bag as part of nationwide ban of plastics in Bhutan in this art camp.

VAST-Yangtse organizes this youth art camp with financial supports from the Royal Office for Media, His Majesty’s Secretariat; Opening Your Heart to Bhutan – the UK -based Charity; Travel DrukAsia; and Bhutan Natural.

Besides encouraging, supporting and recognizing artistic talents of the youth, the art camp also intends to provide a platform for artists with and without disabilities to display their work and talents, foster social interaction among the participants from different school and promote better communication and understanding between various people through art.