Submitted
2025 Global Economic Prosperity Challenge

TTTAT

Team Leader
STEVEN EDWARDS
We help young people and underserved communities build skills, confidence, and opportunity through storytelling, the arts, and smart, simple technology like mobile phones and AI. Our programs teach practical skills like filmmaking, acting, animation, leadership, and how to use AI tools to solve problems and bring ideas to life. These skills build confidence, creativity, and teamwork—and help participants prepare for...
What is the name of your organization?
Steven Edwards productions
What is the name of your solution?
TTTAT
Provide a one-line summary or tagline for your solution.
Empowering underserved communities through arts and technology to foster youth development, digital literacy, social impact, and economic development.
In what city, town, or region is your solution team headquartered?
Santa Rosa Heights, Arima , Trinidad and Tobago W.I
In what country is your solution team headquartered?
TTO
What type of organization is your solution team?
Nonprofit
Film your elevator pitch.
What specific problem are you solving?
Across underserved communities in the Caribbean and globally, young people face systemic barriers to education, employment, creative expression, and digital inclusion. In Trinidad and Tobago, youth unemployment exceeds 20%, and access to arts and technology-based education remains scarce in rural and marginalized areas. Globally, the ILO reports youth unemployment at 13.6%, with disproportionately high rates across the Global South. Girls, women, and incarcerated youth are further marginalized, often excluded from programs that could promote healing, personal growth, and economic opportunity. Without access to digital tools, creative platforms, or entrepreneurial training, many are left without viable pathways to sustainable livelihoods. Steven Edwards Productions addresses these challenges by blending creative arts, storytelling, and technology to empower young people, reduce recidivism, and stimulate grassroots economic development. Our model is grounded in human-centered design and aligns with the UN SDGs 4 (Quality Education), 8 (Decent Work), and 10 (Reduced Inequality). To date, we have impacted over 25,000 children, 1,500 women, and 1,500 youth, and are scaling across the Caribbean, Africa, and North America to reach thousands more—building inclusive creative ecosystems that transform lives and communities.
What is your solution?
We help young people and underserved communities build skills, confidence, and opportunity through storytelling, the arts, and smart, simple technology like mobile phones and AI. Our programs teach practical skills like filmmaking, acting, animation, leadership, and how to use AI tools to solve problems and bring ideas to life. These skills build confidence, creativity, and teamwork—and help participants prepare for jobs, start businesses, and shape their futures in any field. Our main programs include: MAPLE – teaches mobile filmmaking, animation, entrepreneurship, and how to use AI creatively and practically. Theatre for Tots to Teens – helps children and teens express themselves and learn collaboration through performance and culture. Freedom Behind Bars – supports incarcerated youth in rebuilding their lives through art, storytelling, and digital learning. Participants create short films, performances, and animations based on real-life experiences. Their work is shared online, in communities, and at public events—giving them visibility, pride, and purpose. We use low-cost apps, AI tools, and offline-friendly lessons so learning can happen anywhere. It’s more than training—it’s a pathway to transformation, empowerment, and long-term impact. https://youtu.be/NHlfImJOFpE?si=MCdoMRBul0j4eRVR
Who does your solution serve, and in what ways will the solution impact their lives?
We serve young people, women and girls, and marginalized youth from underserved communities in Trinidad and Tobago—especially in areas like Beetham Gardens, as well as youth in correctional institutions. Beetham Gardens is one of the most vulnerable communities in the country. Many families live in extreme poverty, with some relying on informal labor at the nearby landfill to survive. In the most heartbreaking cases, families—including children—have no choice but to eat discarded food from the dump. Years of social neglect, high youth unemployment, and limited access to education or creative opportunities have left many young people unskilled, disheartened, and forgotten by mainstream systems. These youth are not in conflict with the law, but are deeply underserved and in need of support. We also work with incarcerated youth, offering a path to personal growth and healing through creative engagement. Our programs bring arts, digital storytelling, leadership, lifeskills and technology—including AI and mobile tools—directly into these communities. Participants gain skills, confidence, and a renewed sense of purpose. By helping them create, share, and grow, we empower them to imagine—and build—better futures.
Solution Team:
STEVEN EDWARDS
STEVEN EDWARDS