ASHE keeps ‘TABS’ | Entertainment

For far more than two many years, the ASHE Executing Arts group has been applying amusement to educate. Via productions these kinds of as Safe, Silly or What!, Vibes in the Planet of Sexuality and their musical dubbed Complete Circle, ASHE has tackled the problems of secure intercourse, masculinity and dating in the modern entire world. As they continue to fulfil their mandate of ‘edutaining’, ASHE has embarked on a new outreach programme dubbed The TABS Challenge (Communicate About Yuh Business enterprise Safely) where by they really encourage young individuals to talk out about the problems that influence them in a secure, non-judgemental environment.

Speaking with The Gleaner in a latest job interview, ASHE’s built-in internet marketing and communications lead, Ifidel Williams, expressed that as the group continues to obtain new audiences, they desired to assure that their roots have been not buried. “People are common with ASHE via the dancing, singing and performing, but what a ton of individuals really do not know is that we are a civil-society organisation that operates with susceptible groups to confront and highlight the problems that influence them. ASHE began out as the group that made use of drama, songs and dance to communicate about a ton of the problems encompassing intercourse that lots of deemed taboo,” he claimed. “We made use of to go into the faculties, the communities and perform with the intention of educating these groups on secure intercourse, etc. The TABS challenge might be a new platform but the goal is the very same. It is an extension of the commitment we have to ‘edutainment’.”

TABS has been applying social-media platforms to join with their main audience by web hosting weekly online communicate displays, via which they explore problems these kinds of as condom use, mental wellbeing, online dating, HIV and, of course, COVID-19.

Progress

Williams suggests the platform, which began a yr and half back, has observed some advancement. “People have welcomed the platform and it is unquestionably rising and we are grateful. So far, we have had guests these kinds of as D’Angel, Dr Je-Vaughn Wynter and Alaine Haughton (Hilda di vibes builda). We have had some solid information staying issued to young individuals as they open up up about the problems affecting them,” he claimed. “We created the platform to engage in the kinds of discussion we have been possessing, and so far we’re acquiring some excellent opinions. All we want now is for far more individuals to log on and get associated.”

ASHE will be in search of to host its very first-at any time digital dance and cheerleading levels of competition. The contest, which will stop on July 18, is portion of a big online wellbeing expo geared at educating the masses on not only sexual wellbeing but to also carry even far more recognition to COVID-19. “Initially, we have been going to have a huge wellbeing good where by we would have individuals coming in and acquiring free of charge tests and free of charge examine-ups done. But with the introduction of COVID, we decided to make every little thing online, and you know ASHE is constantly about enjoyment and involvement, and so we believed, how improved to engage the young individuals than to do some points that they really like, as a result the dance and cheer levels of competition,” Williams claimed. “Crews will be asked to make routines and cheers on a individual theme. So it could be condom use, COVID-19, or HIV. Enjoyment, as we know it, is not taking place right now, and we really do not know when they are going to fly the gate. So in the meantime, we at ASHE are hoping to make means and means, strategies, and stores to really encourage creative imagination and preserve the room active.”

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