About Necessary Arts
Necessary Arts was conceptualized in Harlem, New York, in the 90’s and founded as the Necessary Arts School in Trinidad and Tobago in 2002.
Today, we are registered under the International Humanitarian City in Dubai, the UAE.
NAS’s primary objective from inception is to promote social justice through the arts. We run youth and adult programs in Trinidad and Tobago, Kenya, and the United Arab Emirates impacting the lives of so many. We have a diverse group of participants and volunteers who continue to push NAS beyond its boundaries: geographically, socially, and pedagogically.
Witnessing the successes of our alumni, we are proud to have led and still continue to lead others to be productive and innovative contributors to their own social groups and society in general.
“Reach the Unreachable”, our community outreach program, is scalable and adaptable to the needs of targeted communities of both homogeneous and multicultural populations. It is this specific program that connects us to those who lack access to sustainable, quality education and drives the NAS Education Fund to it’s role of balancing the scales.
The hopeful dreams of the 90’s shower the dreams of today and we will continue to thrive for the sake of humanity!
Mission
Necessary Arts, employing an extensive and comprehensive program in the arts, will empower participants to realize their full potential with a great measure of success and so become confident, productive and innovative contributors to our global society.
Motto
“Stimulating minds through artistic expression.”
Our Founder
Ms. Naima Thompson
Naima is a leading expert in the field of Dramatic Arts Education. She was born and raised in Trinidad & Tobago and studied in the USA where she obtained her B.A. in Communication Arts and her M.Ed. in Education.
After receiving her degrees and developing her work experience in NY, Naima returned home to work with at-risk youth in her own country. There, she founded the NGO Necessary Arts School, and subsequently offered workshops in the performing and visual arts “to stimulate minds through artistic expression”
While running her NGO, Naima also worked at the International School of Port of Spain (ISPS), ASD in Qatar, SPIA in China, GEMS Dubai American Academy in the United Arab Emirates and now Ms Thompson, heads the Performing Arts department at the Americanm International School in Vietnam. Additionally, Naima coaches teachers to implement drama into the core curriculm and is affiliated with both the Saigon BE conference and the EARCOS teachers’ conference where she is proud to be a presenter.
Naima continues to make an impact worldwide by using her educational and dramatic art skills within multicultural and multilingual student populations. She is eager to always use her talents for the better of humanity.
Board of Directors
Naima Thompson
Lydia Ledgerwood
Penelope Spencer
Helping Today’s Youth Excel
Today’s youth possess innate potential for greatness in situations of academic, social and emotional achievement. It is imperative, therefore, to implement projects to aid them in their quest for self-actualization. The dramatic arts is an important agent of change.
Keeping the holistic development of youth in mind, the arts provide an opportunity for students to develop life skills, build leadership skills, advance their character, and transcend and complement the classroom learning experience.