Social impact creator Joel Nomdarkham launching first children’s book
Social impact creator Joel Nomdarkham is set to launch his first children’s book today.
The book, Future Makers: A Guide to 30 Creative Careers, builds on Nomdarkham’s reading promotion projects, including the highly successful Reading N’ Reasoning initiative which directly impacted more than 1,000 boys across three Caribbean islands.
“Growing up, I always knew I wanted to do something creative but never saw representations of careers outside of the traditional options; there were no marketers,” a news release from his publicist quotes Nomdarkham.
“I discovered marketing in my final year of high school, and that changed everything. I want to make a difference by presenting these opportunities to youth so they can look beyond traditional career paths and dream bigger,” he added.
The book is published by iMagiNation Books, an imprint headed by Latoya West-Blackwood, and showcases creative professionals from eight Caribbean territories, including Jamaica, Barbados, The Bahamas, Trinidad and Tobago, Belize, Grenada, Dominica, and St Kitts and Nevis. The project is also a step in accessible publishing, incorporating embedded multimedia content featuring sign language interpretation.
“This is one of the most exciting books I’ve worked on. The final product is designed to inspire children and young people to dream more, think bigger, and prepare to unlock their purpose,” the release quotes West-Blackwood.
“I am proud that we’ve made this project accessible to children living with disabilities who are often forgotten in providing access to books,” she added.
The book was endorsed by former Education Minister Fayval Williams who said it “aligns with the focus on developing students’ readiness for creative careers”.
Additionally, it has gained support from Sandals Foundation whose Executive Director Heidi Clarke said the foundation will gift copies to school libraries and students in schools across the Caribbean.
“We believe deeply in the power of education to transform lives and create opportunities, and this book is a wonderful way to inspire young minds to embrace and pursue their creative passions for work,” Clarke said.
The launch will be held at Kingston and St Andrew Parish Library. Guest speaker is creative expression advocate Yvette Noel-Schure, widely respected for her work with global superstars.