Californian tattoo artist Cally-Jo Pothecary, known for her work with international fashion houses Chanel, Balmain and Dior, is set to launch the next phase of the Kenco-funded campaign Coffee Vs Gangs in Dublin this month. Commissioned to design an original artwork based on the Honduras campaign, Pothecary's work will feature at a public event in Drury Buildings in Dublin on June 24th where she will unveil a new artwork she has designed for the project.
The event is one part of a wider project that includes The Irish Times Content Studio returning to Honduras to document the progress of the Kenco training course in year two. Working with filmmaker David Tarbox the coverage will be the first Irish Times project to include 360-degree video. The Coffee Vs Gangs initiative was set up as a corporate responsibility initiative by Kenco in 2014 and involves training students from disadvantaged areas of Honduras in all aspects of coffee farming and giving them the opportunity to set up in business.
The initiative featured in The Irish Times as a sponsored content project in 2015, documenting the progress of the training course and the students that took part – all of whom were from communities where the possibility of being drawn into gang membership was high. Situated on the main transit route to north America, Honduras has become deeply affected by criminal gang violence as a result of the drug trade.
The Kenco project was established to reinforce the importance of the coffee industry to Honduras, to reflect the status of the country as an important coffee-producing country and to take a leadership role in providing opportunities for a small group of disadvantaged young people in the country. Nineteen students graduated from the course in year one and each of these has now been provided with investment loans to start their own businesses. They continue to be mentored by project staff on the ground and are assisted in all aspects of their business plan, from finding suitable land and premises to fulfilling all legal obligations in managing their businesses.
A second group of trainees has now joined the project and these 20 young people will follow the same path towards creating a secure business opportunity. The Irish Times Content Studio will document the progress of these students over the next six months, starting in print and online on June 25th.
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Be among the first to preview Cally-Jo Pothercary’s design for Kenco and hear more from the artist on June 24th in Drury Buildings, 55 Drury Street, Dublin 2 from 1pm-2pm