Creative Economy Ministry expands talent development for inmates

Creative Economy Minister Teuku Riefky Harsya has said the ministry wants to expand creative talent development for prison inmates to help them acquire skills for when they return to society. “Because we know that inmates have various activities related to helping them when they rejoin society. Perhaps later we can collaborate on what relates to music, film, and various other sectors,” Riefky told journalists following an audience with the Minister of Immigration and Corrections in Jakarta on Tuesday. Riefky said collaboration will be carried out with the Ministry of Immigration and Corrections to identify potential creative skills among inmates that can be developed both within correctional facilities and after their release and return to the community. “We taught them how to make video clips, how to monetise their singing group’s abilities so they could go viral on YouTube or enter Spotify,” he said. Minister of Immigration and Corrections Agus Andrianto said the ministry welcomed the cooperation opportunity offered by the Creative Economy Ministry to develop and nurture creative talents among inmates within correctional institutions. “We also welcome cooperation in developing inmates in correctional institutions to prepare them through job training and specific events that can later propel creative individuals currently undergoing rehabilitation in Indonesian correctional institutions,” Agus said. This strategic step also aims to support inmates’ self-reliance towards a new, more productive life and economic empowerment.