KINGSTON, Jamaica — Twelve-year-old Shailene Thompson’s has created a skincare app following participation in the Creative Design Camp, an initiative designed to equip children with digital creativity, design and problem-solving skills.

Thompson took part in the camp thanks to a LASCO Financial Services Ltd scholarship.

In a statement on Tuesday, the company indicated that the sponsorship forms part of its commitment to supporting opportunities that empower young people, while giving them access to experiences that can help shape their confidence, creativity and future potential.

The Creative Design Camp, which was launched in 2025, exposes children to digital tools and creative disciplines including graphic design, branding, video creation, website design, UI/UX, digital storytelling and app development. Participants are encouraged to take an idea from imagination to a tangible concept while developing skills in communication, collaboration, decision-making and problem-solving.

For Shailene, the experience provided an opportunity to build on an interest in drawing, design and technology that she had already demonstrated at home.

“I created a skincare app,” Shailene said of her camp project. “You can buy my products through the app.”

Her concept includes products such as oil serums, perfumes, face masks and lotions.

Another highlight of the experience was learning to use Canva, a skill Shailene said she now uses regularly.

“I would like to thank LASCO Financial Services so much for sponsoring my attendance at the Creative Design Camp. It was really a fun experience, and I would recommend other people to come so they can also experience it,” she said.

For Shailene’s sister and guardian, Denia, the opportunity was especially meaningful given Shailene’s natural curiosity and interest in digital creativity.

“She actually, on her own, decided to create a whole YouTube channel, where she was editing videos and gaining subscribers. She was very enthusiastic about that,” Denia said.

Since attending the camp, Denia has also observed a change in her sister’s confidence.

“She seems more confident in herself and more confident in her decisions. She takes more initiative,” she said.

The Creative Design Camp was established by Carey-Lee Dixon after years of working with adult learners in design, branding and digital tools. Her increased involvement with children led her to identify a gap in opportunities for young people to understand and develop their creativity.

“I was a creative child too. I was always creating, always having ideas, and people often told me I was creative. But I didn’t understand then what that creativity could become,” Dixon explained.

The programme was created to help children recognise that creativity can be more than a hobby. It can become a skill, a career pathway, a tool for problem-solving and a means of creating opportunities.

Since launching with four children in July 2025, the programme has reached more than 300 children through summer camps, school visits, pop-up sessions, career sessions and partnerships across Jamaica. The programme has also expanded its reach to children with hearing impairments and young people from underserved communities through partnerships with schools, community programmes and youth-development organisations.

Brand Manager of Card Services at LASCO Financial Services Ltd, Samatha Fuller-Maragh, said the company views its support of the programme as an investment in the potential of Jamaica’s youth.

“LASCO Financial Services is proud to support initiatives that create meaningful opportunities for Jamaica’s young people. Shailene’s participation in the Creative Design Camp is a great example of what can happen when a young person’s natural curiosity and creativity are nurtured with the right tools and guidance,” she said.

“We are pleased to play a part in giving her access to an environment where she can explore her ideas, develop new skills and build the confidence to see where her creativity can take her. We believe that investing in opportunities like these helps to prepare our young people to be innovative, adaptable and ready to contribute to Jamaica’s future,” Fuller-Maragh added.