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Located on the outskirts of Belmont, the Gloster Lodge Moravian School services students in the communities of Belmont, Gonzales, The Harp, Observatory Street, The Quarry and other surrounding areas of the East Dry River, traditionally labelled as "at risk communities".

 

Gloster Lodge will always hold a special place in my heart as it would have laid the foundation for me to become the person I am today. I think the purpose of a school is to not only educate children but to also shape their minds, get them ready for life and to help them become the best they can be; and despite its limited resources, Gloster Lodge never fell short on delivering any of those things!

 

Having worked with the SIJ team to get Soca Artiste 5Star Akil to Japan for JSW 2018 and to also film the "Personal" Music Video, Kegon Toussaint, the founder of SIJ, indicated that he and his team were coming to Trinidad and they were very much interested in sharing Japanese culture through Dance, while engaging in some type of charity event or the other. I thought this was a perfect opportunity for me to also give back to my primary school and decided to reach out to the former principal, Mrs Alves (my Standard 2 teacher back then), who indicated that Gloster Lodge has a small dance group and also put me on to the current principal, Mr Hyland.

 

So in 2019, we hosted a Dance Workshop for the kids, teaching them traditional Japanese dancing, as well as Soca and Hip Hop dances. Afterward, the children were treated to snacks, pizza, donuts and other refreshments.

In 2020, the SIJ team provided the live entertainment for the Gloster Lodge Carnival School Bazaar. Japanese Soca Singer AnnG, top Japanese DJ, DJ Daiky along with international dancers Chiaki, Minami, Aya and Iyona created an hour long concert experience. Also present were Kegon and Isbael, who assisted with coordination and managed the logistics of the SIJ team.

 

It was such an overwhelming feeling, to see and experience the sheer joy, laughter and happiness of the kids; not to mention the fact that our culture has been embraced and loved so much by Japanese people...it was indeed a true testament of the power and unifying force of Soca music