DTI-7 reintroduces DREAM program, maps local creatives in C.Visayas

CEBU CITY -- The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI)-Region VII relaunched its Digital Services Entrepreneurs Advancement Mentoring (DREAM) program to map out and empower local creatives and entrepreneurs in the digital landscape in Central Visayas to enable the sector to address issues it faces. 

“By mapping the landscape of creativity, identifying skills and talents, and understanding the aspirations and needs of our stakeholders, we lay the groundwork for targeted programs and policies that foster growth and innovation,” DTI-7 Regional Director Maria Elena Arbon at the launching event on April 4 via zoom.

The DREAM Program was originally introduced in 2021 that emerged as an online training course tailored specifically for digital services entrepreneurs and freelancers in response to the unprecedented challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to Arbon, the goal of the DREAM program is to equip businesses of all sizes with the resilience and adaptability needed to thrive in challenging times. In collaboration with the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI), the program’s core was to produce confident local entrepreneurs with the right mindset and basic management skills to survive amid challenges of the times.

In 2022, DTI-7 launched the Creative Konnect, a subsector program focused on identifying and mapping the creative sector in Central Visayas that aims to understand and harness the potentials of the different creative subsectors in using creativity as a tool for socioeconomic development.

Emergence of creative fields across Central Visayas

With the success of Phase1, which was the comprehensive collection of quantitative data from the island provinces of Cebu, Bohol, Siquijor, and Negros Oriental in December 2021, Phase2 was launched in April 2022 and began its sessions on July 28, 2022.

Phase2 unfolded through a series of enriching stakeholders' conversations uniting key stakeholders from ten prominent creative fields across Region 7, namely: New Media: Digitized Content and Software, New Media: Animation and Game Development, Performing Arts, Visual Arts, Creative Services: Placemaking, Creative Services: Imagemaking, Functional Design, Audio Visuals, Cultural Expressions, and Printing and Publishing.

Some of the main issues cited across the creative subsectors included concerns about creation, distribution, production, and consumption, highlighting the minimal support for emerging creatives; lack of industry mentors and champions; and skills transfer and capacity building.

In September 2023, DTI-7 unveiled FiestaKucha Cebu, a festive regional initiative in celebration of the Philippine Creative Industries Month (PCIM) which provided local creatives a platform and exposure to their creative outputs through a month-long series of events.  This celebration concluded with a conference, gathering creative industry stakeholders, players, and ecosystem to elevate their awareness about the sector.

The comeback of DREAM program

For the comeback of the DREAM program this year, DTI-7 collaborated with local creatives--The Company CEBU and Dual Story.

“The DREAM program was created to empower creatives to transform their passion into profitable ventures. By fostering a network of mentors, peers, and industry leaders, DREAM equips participants with the essential business skills they need to thrive. After all the sessions, we hope to continue working with this collaborative collective of graduates who will support and empower future creative entrepreneurs,” The Company General Manager, Joy Garingo said.

The Company Cebu is an international co-working space for creators, community leaders, and startups while Dual Story is a Cebu branding agency for local and global brands focused on insight, innovation, and impact.

“Because we’re playing in emerging creative industries, we must increase the survival rate of creative businesses beyond the one-year mark when real challenges start to crop up. Ultimately, it is the creatives who have to champion themselves and each other. May this program give them the confidence to take the leap or continue," Dual Story Founder Johanna Michelle Lim added.

This year's batch welcomed 22 mentees; 12 from Cebu, five from Bohol, four from Negros Oriental and one from Siquijor, all representing the creative services sector.  The DREAM Program will run for 12 weeks and will feature mentorship modules such as Contract Management, Time and Project Management, Legalizing Your Business, and others.

“The DREAM Program aligns with the Philippine Creative Industries Development Act (PCIDA), advocating for the promotion of Philippine creative industries while safeguarding the rights and capacities of its diverse stakeholders,” Arbon concluded. (Photos: DTI7/Kyle & Google Images)