Congratulations to the winners!

Children are considered one of the most vulnerable, especially for the past months with the ongoing pandemic. But where there's a will, there's a way. And Global Art Philippines, despite the challenges of not having face-to-face lessons, pushed through with their annual competition as a way of promoting one's love for art in all forms.

“Art classes don't just teach children to draw or paint. It actually trains children to think creatively, to pay attention to details, to persevere, to be able to communicate through artwork. It also teaches them to work with others and build their confidence. There is a sense of fulfillment and empowerment after they complete an artwork, and that's what we always aim to give to our students. This is why even with COVID-19 restricting our movements, we at Global Art strongly believe that it can’t restrict our students' personal growth, ” said Yenny Saw, Global Art Philippines' country director.

Saw believes that art can help children develop skills such as self-awareness, self-management, and empathy. Through art classes. Children can convey how they are processing the current situation and can help them imagine various possibilities to engage and adapt to their current environment—eventually demonstrating resilience.

The company also believe that children need the power of creativity, so while Global Art feels like teaching art online is not ideal, they did not to stop offering art classes. "When the plan doesn't work, we have to change the plan; not the goal."

After more than a year of online art classes, they realized that both children and parents have actually benefited from this welcome pandemic art therapy. Clarisse Lee, a mother of two kids, enrolled in Global Art programs, shared, "I think their Global Art painting sessions have helped them improve their patience, attention to details, and hand control." Student Ranz Jedrick Chun, expressed how proud he is of his parents' appreciation of his artworks, "Mommy and daddy love the output of my projects, even I was surprised with my works. Thanks to Global Art, I improved a lot."

These inspired them to hold their annual national competition that culimated last Oct. 17. A total of 125 participants joined. With the theme "Hope," participants were asked to use art to express their hopes and channel their emotions into their works of art. All these participants are current enrollees, with each class given an allotment of one hours to explore and discover through mediums such as acrylic painting, watercolor painting, g-clay, and more. Classes for older kids and adults last for 90 minutes.

Saw believes that art, whether among kids or adults, allows individuals to process our experiences and helps us to express and understand whatever is happening around us. And it is the company's hope that they can continue to guide their students in unleashing their creativity through their lessons.

Congratulations to the winners! Creative drawing grand champions—Chloe Natasha Go for Category A (four to six years old), Zuriel Timothy Choi for Category B (seven to nine years old), Alvin Rich Mataragnon for Category C (10 to 12 year sold); Acrylic painting grand champions—Ziara Jaucian for Category 1 (four to six years old), Breanne Joy Ho for Category 2 (seven to nine years old); Beatrice Ashley Ko for Category 3 (10 to 12 years old), and Diana Alexandria Gothong for Category 4 (13 years old and above).