Jacksonville Arts & Music School Student Offers Message of Hope through Agency's Passion Project

Jacksonville-based independent agency St. John has collaborated with Jacksonville Arts & Music School (JAMS), a local organisation dedicated to the development of talented inner-city youth and young professionals, to create a hopeful social initiative to inspire their communities.

Facilitated by St. John, JAMS students were invited to participate in an arts contest by submitting a piece of art reflective of their favourite discipline – music, film, dance and art – based on the theme of 'hope'.  The winner was 9th grade student Niveah Glover, with her inspiring 'Hope is', poem, a 2:15-minute black and white film in which she strings together rhythmic lines of uplifting anecdotes to define the theme, such as “It’s you mother’s eyes and your father’s voice. Hope is love. Hope is a choice.”

St. John selected the submission because it captured the spirit of the theme and exemplified the agency’s ideals of character, courage, and kindness.

Jason Peoples, executive director of JAMS, said: “Niveah is a JAMS original; a participant of our program from day one, and a staple leader ever since. She is relentless in her pursuit of her personal goals, while aware of the need for a collective tomorrow. She is a fantastic technical and creative writer - and works tirelessly to ensure that the community's youth have a prominent voice. Her passion may be writing, but she never confuses that with her preeminent purpose to lead.”

Jeff McCurry, president of St. John said: “Niveah’s ‘Hope Is’ video perfectly represents what we wish to accomplish in our continued partnership with JAMS — to create opportunities for students to learn and creatively express their talents, especially in the wake of the pandemic when hope is more important now than ever. “

JAMS and St. John will share Glover’s original piece on their social channels (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter) to highlight her creativity and spread her uplifting message of hope with others. St. John has partnered with JAMS since January 2020 as part of its ‘Passion Project’ initiative to provide pro bono creative services to deserving non-profit organizations in Jacksonville that positively impact the community. To learn more about JAMS, including ways to support their vital arts and education programs, click here.