Advances creative district project with training of entrepreneurs linked to historic and cultural heritage

The activity of the Santa Ana Weekly last weekend shows how through Creative and Cultural Industries public spaces can be rescued and economic activity activated.

These are some of the main aims of the Creative District project that was advanced by the Tourist Cabinet and led by the Ministry of Culture and currently found in design and implementation studies.

One of the most advanced tasks for the development of this project is the training of entrepreneurs and artists for free from and from which have been benefitted 100 people from the cordments of Santa Ana and San Felipe.

In November 2020, the National Government called for the first training program of Creative and Cultural Industries, Crea in Panama, with an aim to increase projects related to cultural and natural heritage, with priority at the historic centre of Panama that includes the cordments of Santa Ana, San Felipe and Chorrillo as well as the districts of Portobelo and San Lorenzo, province of Colón.

The selection was 1200 entrepreneurs of whom 69% are women. Since January 2021, those selected have been awarded four virtual courses focused on digital marketing, creative stores and heritage enhancement.

The program's evaluating committee formed by MiCultura, Ampyme and City of Knowledge select the 300 most outstanding entrepreneurs on the basis of the scores obtained from the courses and the responses given on form sent to these entrepreneurs.

They will be put into the second phase of the program that starts on May 17 with Ampyme's corporate workshops with an emphasis on creativity and innovation. Also by June of this year they will be put into place to be one of the 100 that will receive non-refundable funds with an amount of B /. 1.000.000.00 with resources from the BID Loan, for their projects of entrepreneurship with an emphasis on Cultural Tourism, thus preparing for the reactivation of tourism in the area and with the opening of the Amador Convention Center, Port of Cruciero and Visitors to the BioMuseum.

These artists and entrepreneurs will be in charge of knitting the Creative Ecosystem that aims to create the Creative District project as an axis of social and economic development and social mobility especially from the priority tourist sites: Panama's historic centre, Portobelo, Colón, Boquete, Highlands and Taboga, among others.

The programme complies with priority actions 94 and 95 of the National Government for the promotion of ICC and is aligned with the cultural indicators of the UNESCO, recommendations of the Inter-American Development Bank (BID) and is part of the National Strategy Crea in Panama - 2030 to be launched by the Ministry of Culture in July this year for the sustainable development of the Creative Economy.

To see the list of 300 entrepreneurs, get into this link https: / / creaenpanama.gob.pa / # downloads