Art helps kids cope with pandemic

Singapore

THE Rice Company, which manages The Business Times' charity The Business Times Budding Artists Fund, believes that no child should be denied a chance to learn the arts just because they cannot afford to.

When the circuit breaker began and students had to turn to home-based learning (HBL), The Rice Company broadened its purpose to help over 300 children from 33 primary and secondary schools who still had to go to school.

In some cases, their families could not afford the broadband services that would allow full home-based learning to be carried out. In other cases, the children faced domestic issues which meant they were safer going to school instead of staying at home.

For about a month during the full HBL period, the children learnt how to make artwork, sing songs and perform dance routines via video classes conducted by various instructors of The Rice Company.

The children's artwork, dances and vocal performances have been digitally recorded and compiled, and are now being showcased in the #Engage 2.0 Online Arts Festival.

"The art classes helped the children make sense of the pandemic and cope with their circumstances," said festival director Jeffrey Tan. He added that the classes gave students "ways of articulating their fears, hopes, frustrations and gratitude".

Highlights include virtual art galleries which showcase manga drawings, doodles and caricatures made by the children under the guidance of virtual instructors. There are also videos of hip-hop and K-pop dances, as well as vocal performances of popular songs such as Louis Armstrong's What A Wonderful World.

The Rice Company's #Engage 2.0 initiative was carried out in collaboration with the Ministry of Education. Major sponsors include SEA Holdings Limited and Jiangsu Association (Singapore). Other sponsors include Fei Siong Group, JR Group, Polar Puffs & Cakes, and ThePartyAffairs.