SINT MAARTEN (GREAT BAY) - Over 100 volunteers, and counting, have assisted with an Alleyway Transformation as part of @ColorMeSXM by Be The Change Foundation. The transformation includes the cleaning and painting of both walls of the alley and painting a mural 200+ m2 in size.
Over the weekend, the third volunteer day was held in Afloop Steeg, Philipsburg, under the careful guidance of artists Nascha Kagie and Daphne Prevoo. “Given the scale of the mural, volunteers are essential in bringing the design to life. As a Foundation, we also want to emphasize the importance of volunteerism, which brings people together and gives them the opportunity to create positive change in their community,” explained Laura Bijnsdorp, the project’s coordinator.
This past Saturday was the busiest volunteer day yet, with several project sponsors in attendance, including representatives from LICCOM Construction, Sherwin Williams, St. Maarten Tourism Bureau, and Cultuurfonds Caribisch Gebied. Members of Parliament (MP) and the Council of Ministers were also invited to experience the community project firsthand. Among those present were MPs Sarah Wescot-Williams, Darryl York, and Sjamira Roseburg, as well as Minister of Justice Nathalie Tackling and Minister of VROMI Patrice Gumbs, who all joined in the painting.
This alleyway project is a collaboration with Plastic Free SXM, executed by St. Maarten Development Fund. Laura: “The final mural will include messages about human impact and plastic pollution. As part of the Plastic Free SXM initiative, a legislative framework was developed to ban several single-use plastics. The legislation was handed over to the Government of St. Maarten, to finalize its trajectory towards Parliament for approval. Inviting public officials provided us with a chance to showcase both projects @ColorMeSXM and Plastic Free SXM, in an engaging way.”
The Foundation would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to all volunteers, sponsors, and supporters of the project. The fourth and final volunteer day for the alleyway project is planned for this weekend. The Foundation also intends to add two more large-scale murals with regional artists in the coming months.
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