Transcript of our interview with Sameea, Innovative Arts: Parent Interview with Sameea Bajwa

How did you know Innovative Arts was the right fit?

The kids have actually been with Innovative Arts for a couple of years, and we knew very early on that it was the right fit because they provided a very safe space for creative outlook. I'm not an artsy person, I am not very creative, and we couldn't provide that with our kids. But our children, we realized that they needed a safe space to sort of let out their creative energy.

We didn't pick this place ourselves. Our children picked Innovative Arts. They're the ones who requested to join it. They had gone a year before and attended a show for one of their classmates, and they came back and they were just enamoured by it, and they asked to be a part of it, and we just kind of rolled with it. But we've been noticing every time when we've picked them up, they have a safe space where they can be creative.

What’s unique about Innovative Arts camp?

Innovative Arts is the one place where, without fail, they come out happy every single time. Our kids are smiling every single time they come out. They're happy, they're singing, and I think that that's what makes it really unique because the staff is always happy. They just exude really good energy. And it's just contagious.

Was there any personal growth you saw in your child?

We've seen their confidence grow quite a lot. Two of our kids do it, and out of the three, the third one is youngest and she can't wait to get into it as well. They're very comfortable, whether it's standing in front of school and doing a presentation or doing a speech. And that's been the biggest growth we've noticed in them.

How can a parent support their child to get the most out of the Innovative Arts experience?

For us, we've actually been quite hands-off when it comes to Innovative Arts. We've actually not really needed to support them much. They keep a lot of the stuff quite secret from us on purpose because they want us to be surprised when they do the show. I think it's just listening to them when they want to talk about it, and that's it.

We haven't given them much advice. We just let them decide what they want to talk about, and we're just there to listen. So we've actually recommended Innovative Arts quite a lot to other people, and the value has been in, one, their growth. They are happy and they're just so much more confident.

What does your child say about Innovative Arts?

They're happy, and they're giddy when they come back from their lessons. But they never really talk much about it, again, because they like keeping a surprise for the show. So they usually talk to us at the end of it. Towards the end of the show, afterwards, we'll get a really thorough debrief from the kids, and every single time it's just been them being happy.

Any final thoughts on Innovative Arts?

Anyone who is able to send their kids to Innovative Arts, I don't think they can go wrong with it.