BIFHE (Belfast Metropolitan College) is planning to cancel its performing arts course,
Colin’s voice must be heard on this issue, and we need to add ours. The Arts are not an expendable part of education, they are an essential part of education. To deprive the opportunity of study to hundreds of talented young people, who may grow up to enhance our lives, much as Colin done, is an injustice to all of us.
He makes a powerful point when he says:
The impact of cancelling this course will have a detrimental effect to all those young people, like me, who are trying to make a future and a career out of performance. What message is being sent here by cancelling the course? To me it’s a clear message of dissimal to the talent that exists in our country, it’s a denial of development, it’s an ignorance to the possibility of aspiration in the business and it’s a failure to support a vital and thriving industry which Northern Ireland is now benefitting from.
The knowledge that the opportunity to enable young people to even apply (and have the ability and confidence to apply) to drama school is now being cut off just seems ludicrous. Are we saying that it’s ok for major filming projects to come and film in Northern Ireland but our young people here aren’t worthy to be trained to be a part of it?
Higher education has often devolved into thinking that the Arts are not an essential part of study and can be dismissed out of hand, instead of being fought for. Music, Drama, Literature and Poetry have often been the first to go when budgets get tight. Their foresight is poor. It’s up to us who love and enjoy the insight and emotional complexity that the Performing Arts have brought us … it’s up to us to raise a loud, compelling, and unified shout when these decisions are being made.
God bless Colin for giving his now powerful voice to this issue. Join him.
bbcdiscovery 
There has been a continuing subtle implication, from Colin’s experiences and his previous comments on his personal difficulties in the pursuit of his dream, that one day we could likely expect to see him make a huge contribution to the talented young people of Northern Ireland. Perhaps his own College of Performing Arts … Perhaps in his own Armaugh.
In any case, the future is before us, and he will have a large part to play in it. This man will become an icon and an inspiration to many, in his homeland and around the world, not because of his beauty, not because of his celebrity, but because of his heart.
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When I saw this yesterday, I immediately thought someone needs to put a petition up on this. I have signed several other change.org petitions, so when the link came up, I signed. It was weird to see my name and the little town where I live in the comment section! The numbers are coming up, but slowly.
Reading the explanation of why this is happening on the petition and it’s impact on even the students who are attending now really makes you hope that some kind of solution can be found. And, somewhat selfishly, thinking where would we be if they had done this ten years ago?
It would seem to me that if someone still wants to make Irish films with Irish actors (not just borrowed Brits and Americans who can do accents), they need to have someplace where young people with talent and ambition can get the education and training they need. Not just actors, but all the other talents that go into making any kind of drama.
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Thanks Sunny for sending me the petition. I signed it immediately!
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I thought this would only happen in third world countries like mine. For me it’s unbelievable!
Develop the artistic potential is a right that every child and young people have and a duty for every country to fulfill. Performing Arts are essential for the cultural development of a country and they must be accessible to all regardless of social class, ethnic and gender.
No one has the right to steal the dreams of others…that’s what they are doing… it’s sad!!!
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It happens everywhere. When things get tight music and art are the first things to go. Never sports. They usually keep the marching band because who would play at the football games? And even they usually have to do fund raisers to pay for uniforms, etc. Go to any college or university in the US and take a look at the size of their theater and then go look at the sports complex. And it’s no different in the high schools.
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Here in my country English classes ESL) never go, it’s a priority for parents and schools.
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