​Parliamentary Representative for Gros Islet, Hon. Emma Hippolyte, has announced that the launching of the Frank Norville Centre for Creative Arts will take place on Sunday, Oct. 25 at Monchy.

The centre will provide an avenue through which unemployed and unattached youth in the district of Gros Islet can learn skills in the creative arts, to improve on their situations. Minister Hippolyte initiated the idea.

For the time being, the centre will operate as a virtual entity with activities taking place in four locations: at the Monchy Human Resource Centre, the Gros Islet Secondary and Primary schools, the Corinth Secondary School, and the Grande Riviere Primary School.

Classes will commence with students from those schools but will be expanded to take in the unemployed youth in the district.

The centre is named in memory of the late Frank Norville who passed away in May. He was an enthusiastic singer and promoter of Saint Lucian folk music.

The centre has already received a donation of musical instruments from Professor Harvey Millar, a Canadian-based Saint Lucian university lecturer in Business, who is also well known Jazz musician. Dr. Millar, contributed to refining the concept and modalities of the centre.

The program of activities for the launching of the centre includes performances by the school orchestras from the Monchy, Gros Islet, and Corinth secondary schools; and the Gros Islet, Grande Riviere and Dame Pearlette Louisy primary schools. There will also be addresses from Minister Hippolyte and a representative of Frank Norville’s family.

The program commences at 3 p.m., but will be preceded by Jounen Kwéyòl activities in Monchy, and will be climaxed with a performance from Monchy’s popular solo group, Secret Band.