LASCO backs young creative at digital design camp

Twelve-year-old Shailene Thompson is getting an early start in exploring the possibilities of digital creativity after LASCO Financial Services Ltd sponsored her participation in the Creative Design Camp.

The programme exposes children to digital tools and disciplines, including graphic design, branding, video creation, website design, user interface/user experience (UI/UX), digital storytelling, and app development.

For Shailene, who already had an interest in drawing, design and technology, the camp provided an opportunity to turn those interests into a tangible project.

“I created a skincare app,” Shailene said of her camp project. “You can buy my products through the app.”

Her concept features products such as oil serums, perfumes, face masks and lotions.

She also learned to use Canva, a skill she said she now uses regularly.

“It was really a fun experience, and I would recommend other people to come, so they can also experience it,” she said.

For Shailene’s sister and guardian, Denia, the opportunity built on an interest in digital creativity that had already emerged at home.

“She actually, on her own, decided to create a whole YouTube channel where she was editing videos and gaining subscribers. She was very enthusiastic about that,” Denia said.

She said the experience has also helped to boost Shailene’s confidence.

“She seems more confident in herself and more confident in her decisions. She takes more initiative,” she said.

The Creative Design Camp was launched in 2025 by Carey-Lee Dixon, following years of working with adult learners in design, branding and digital tools.

NEW VIEW OF CREATIVITY

Dixon said her increased interaction with children highlighted a gap in opportunities for young people to understand and develop their creativity.

“I was a creative child, too. I was always creating, always having ideas, and people often told me I was creative. But I didn’t understand then what that creativity could become,” Dixon explained.

The programme seeks to help children view creativity not only as a hobby, but as a potential skill, career pathway, and a tool for problem-solving and creating opportunities.

It started with four children in July 2025 and has since reached more than 300 children through summer camps, school visits, pop-up sessions, career sessions, and partnerships across Jamaica.

The programme has also expanded to children with hearing impairments and young people from underserved communities through partnerships with schools, community programmes and youth development organisations.

Samatha Fuller-Maragh, brand manager for card services at LASCO Financial Services, said the company sees its support of the programme as an investment in young Jamaicans.

“LASCO Financial Services is proud to support initiatives that create meaningful opportunities for Jamaica’s young people,” she said.

“Shailene’s participation in the Creative Design Camp is a great example of what can happen when a young person’s natural curiosity and creativity are nurtured with the right tools and guidance. We are pleased to play a part in giving her access to an environment where she can explore her ideas, develop new skills, and build the confidence to see where her creativity can take her. We believe that investing in opportunities like these helps to prepare our young people to be innovative, adaptable and ready to contribute to Jamaica’s future.”

Through initiatives such as the camp’s Sponsor-A-Child programme, corporate partners help offset financial barriers that could prevent children from participating.

Dixon said such support could influence how children view themselves and their ideas.

“When we invest in a child who says, ‘I have an idea’, we are helping them get to a much bigger belief: ‘My ideas matter. I have something unique to contribute, and there are people who believe in me’,” she said.

The camp expanded its programming this month with after-school and weekend online sessions, while continuing school visits and pop-up programmes.