By Shikin Louis
KUCHING, June 21: The Sarawak government is planning to expand its Sarawak Youth Creative Industry Fund (SYCIF) to support skilled artisans and craft entrepreneurs, in a move to empower more local talents to grow and sustain their creative careers.
Minister of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said the fund which previously targeted at musicians and films, will be widened to include traditional craftspeople, especially those trained under heritage-based programmes.
“The SYCIF was previously more aligned to those with skills in music and theatre like those who can play the viola and want to take their talent to a higher level.
“But I plan to extend it out to include those in the craft industry, for those who want to improve themselves to a higher level,” he said when officiating the Aspire Programme 2023–2025 Graduation Ceremony and launching The Art of Sarawak Keringkam Course Book and Final Exhibition at the Old Court House here today.
The Aspire Programme, supported by Yayasan Hasanah in collaboration with the Brooke Trust, is designed to empower underserved youth, including those from rehabilitation and institutional schools such as Sekolah Henry Gurney, Tunas Bakti School Kuching and Taman Seri Puteri Kuching (TSP Kuching), through heritage-based skills training.
Abdul Karim acknowledged the potential of such training to open new life paths for the graduates and stressed the importance of ensuring they are supported beyond the classroom with real opportunities.
Today’s ceremony featured a showcase of the students’ final works, celebrating the art of keringkam, Sarawak’s iconic and intricate gold-thread embroidery tradition. – DayakDaily
