"Born and bred in Trinidad and Tobago, Kevon Foderingham is an Arts for Social Change Advocate; Founder, FOR COMMON GOOD, Founder of EAST YARD; Designer of the Green Violet line of men’s accessories, Personal Brand Visioning Coach and holds the franchise for Pechakucha Nights Arima.
A former restaurant manager while in the UK, Kevon became immersed in development work upon his return to Trinidad in 2005 and has since functioned as a youth career enhancement facilitator at the Youth Training and Employment Partnership Programme, Program Administrator at the Trinidad and Tobago Insurance Institute and served for over six years as Marketing and Communications Manager at PSI-Caribbean, the regional headquarters of global public health non-profit PSI where he oversaw marketing of the organization's HIV, Non-communicable Disease and Gender-based violence prevention programming in 11 Caribbean countries.
An avid supporter of local culture and all things youth, he has been involved with and led several projects in Trinidad that have provided a platform for young local talent such as R.A.S.H. Magazine (2008-2011), the talent showcase, Euphorum (2009-2010) and sat on the board of the Trinidad chapter of the YMCA (2005). He recently sat for three years on the board of the Indigenous Creative Arts Network (ICAN), part of the IDAKEDA Group which is responsible for the Kambule Reenactment during Trinidad’s Carnival and currently sits on the board of the Trinidad and Tobago Bridge Initiative, the entity responsible for the Caribbean’s premier transformational festival, NEW FIRE Festival.
In 2016 he founded Caribbean Fashion & Arts Feature Festival (CFAFF), a non-profit arts education and promotion organization, incorporated with the mission to utilize the arts to directly address social issues affecting young people and retirees primarily, in Arima and East Trinidad. Thus far, CFAFF has successfully engaged over 100 youth with its Arts Enrichment program that focuses on visual arts education and gender-based violence prevention training.
CFAFF has in the past hosted its multifaceted fashion-film and arts festival in Arima, which has screened and honoured the best fashion related films from the region and beyond and has been featured in Vogue Italia (Italian Vogue).
Kevon is also founder of EAST YARD, East Trinidad’s premiere arts space, founded in 2017 and located on Prince Street Arima. Conceptualized to serve as a physical creative hub to connect and engage the local community through the arts on a regular and ongoing basis, the space serves as the home for several CFAFF arts education programs as well as exhibitions and various creative events. Through EAST YARD, he has been able to bring cultural events traditionally based in the capital city, Port-of-Spain, to audiences in Arima for the first time.
Visual art remains centre stage at EAST YARD and the space has attracted international creatives to Arima, who have either been resident on-site at EAST YARD, or have facilitated public learning sessions for Arimians.
In September 2019, Kevon participated in the sought after International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP), which is the U.S. Department of State’s premier professional exchange program that allows current and emerging foreign leaders in a variety of fields to experience the US firsthand and cultivate lasting relationships with their American counterparts. The theme of the program was “Promoting Social Change through the Arts.”
Upon his return to Trinidad after the IVLP exchange, Kevon and the board of CFAFF, took the decision to realign the work of CFAFF and have started the process of rebranding the organization’s work under the banner, FOR COMMON GOOD, which is a global platform created to support cultural diplomacy and promote social change through the arts.
Biography
"Born and bred in Trinidad and Tobago, Kevon Foderingham is an Arts for Social Change Advocate; Founder, FOR COMMON GOOD, Founder of EAST YARD; Designer of the Green Violet line of men’s accessories, Personal Brand Visioning Coach and holds the franchise for Pechakucha Nights Arima.
A former restaurant manager while in the UK, Kevon became immersed in development work upon his return to Trinidad in 2005 and has since functioned as a youth career enhancement facilitator at the Youth Training and Employment Partnership Programme, Program Administrator at the Trinidad and Tobago Insurance Institute and served for over six years as Marketing and Communications Manager at PSI-Caribbean, the regional headquarters of global public health non-profit PSI where he oversaw marketing of the organization's HIV, Non-communicable Disease and Gender-based violence prevention programming in 11 Caribbean countries.
An avid supporter of local culture and all things youth, he has been involved with and led several projects in Trinidad that have provided a platform for young local talent such as R.A.S.H. Magazine (2008-2011), the talent showcase, Euphorum (2009-2010) and sat on the board of the Trinidad chapter of the YMCA (2005). He recently sat for three years on the board of the Indigenous Creative Arts Network (ICAN), part of the IDAKEDA Group which is responsible for the Kambule Reenactment during Trinidad’s Carnival and currently sits on the board of the Trinidad and Tobago Bridge Initiative, the entity responsible for the Caribbean’s premier transformational festival, NEW FIRE Festival.
In 2016 he founded Caribbean Fashion & Arts Feature Festival (CFAFF), a non-profit arts education and promotion organization, incorporated with the mission to utilize the arts to directly address social issues affecting young people and retirees primarily, in Arima and East Trinidad. Thus far, CFAFF has successfully engaged over 100 youth with its Arts Enrichment program that focuses on visual arts education and gender-based violence prevention training.
CFAFF has in the past hosted its multifaceted fashion-film and arts festival in Arima, which has screened and honoured the best fashion related films from the region and beyond and has been featured in Vogue Italia (Italian Vogue).
Kevon is also founder of EAST YARD, East Trinidad’s premiere arts space, founded in 2017 and located on Prince Street Arima. Conceptualized to serve as a physical creative hub to connect and engage the local community through the arts on a regular and ongoing basis, the space serves as the home for several CFAFF arts education programs as well as exhibitions and various creative events. Through EAST YARD, he has been able to bring cultural events traditionally based in the capital city, Port-of-Spain, to audiences in Arima for the first time.
Visual art remains centre stage at EAST YARD and the space has attracted international creatives to Arima, who have either been resident on-site at EAST YARD, or have facilitated public learning sessions for Arimians.
In September 2019, Kevon participated in the sought after International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP), which is the U.S. Department of State’s premier professional exchange program that allows current and emerging foreign leaders in a variety of fields to experience the US firsthand and cultivate lasting relationships with their American counterparts. The theme of the program was “Promoting Social Change through the Arts.”
Upon his return to Trinidad after the IVLP exchange, Kevon and the board of CFAFF, took the decision to realign the work of CFAFF and have started the process of rebranding the organization’s work under the banner, FOR COMMON GOOD, which is a global platform created to support cultural diplomacy and promote social change through the arts.