By Newsday Reporter

Copyright newsday

East Yard Enterprises, with the support of the JB Fernandes Memorial Trust I, present the second annual Amplify Connect: Creative Social Enterprise Summit which aspires to be TT’s premier gathering where creativity, community impact and business-for-good converge.

A media release said, the summit takes place on October 17 in commemoration of the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. This one-day event will transform the Arima Community Centre into a space of inspiration, innovation and collaboration under the theme Creativity Means Business – for Good.

The summit will feature social enterprise business presentations; immersive creative workshops and activities; panel discussions, film screenings, book readings; open mic; guest performances; networking zones, social impact marketplace and the Amplify Connect Award Ceremony, recognising outstanding young creative social entrepreneurs.

The event is the culmination of East Yard Enterprises’ seven-month long Amplify Connect Creative Social Enterprise Fellowship and Accelerator and is built around the work of the programme’s dynamic group of 12 innovators blending creativity and business with social change. From poets and puppeteers to fashion designers, game developers, and educators, these fellows represent the bold, diverse, and resilient spirit of TT, the release said.

Over the past few months the participants have gotten the opportunity to present the creative social business products they’ve developed during the fellowship at pre-summit events hosted at The Fashion Arch, Port of Spain and at the Embassy of Mexico.

“This Summit is about more than conversation. It’s about activation,” says Kevon Gareth Foderingham, founder of East Yard Enterprises. “Students, entrepreneurs, creatives and non-profits will walk away with new connections, ideas and practical tools to build businesses that transform communities.”

The 2025 Amplify Connect fellows are:

Denée Thomas – Visual artist

Jordan Smith – Game developer

Isaiah Mapp – Visual artist

Asher Bain – Crochet artist

Jonathan Villaroel – Visual artist

Deneka Thomas – Poet & comms professional

Keeron Isaac – Poet & author

Alicia Buckmire – Events planner and balloon artist

Richard Noel – Fashion designer

Nicole Joseph – Graphic designer & craft educator

Alicia Reyes – Poet, designer & artist

Dawsher Charles – Puppeteer, educational coach & author

For further and to register visit www.eastyard.org/Amplify-connect-summit-overview