The aim of the project was to bring together young people in an environment where they could develop skills & relationship. The project worked with predominantly young people between the ages of 18 & 25 from a diverse range of backgrounds, to give them an opportunity to be part of a creative music programme as way to enhance their mental wellbeing. The Programme aimed to give young people the opportunity to compose and perform music, but also to experience and learn about all aspects of music production, including filming/recording/editing. This is to provide a creative outlet to promote wellbeing but also to provide skills that can be used in the future.
Participants were recruited through an advertising campaign and word of mouth, and the young people participated in group work and activities. Our project was open to all religions and cultures and ethnic groups and we succeeded in bring together a broad representation of our community to work for a common outcome. We had set out to create one piece of collective music but ended up with 4 unique recordings which resulted in a CD.
The use of a recording studio was a major plus as many of the participants had never been inside one before, and through the work of the project we discovered a well of hidden talent within the young people. Keeping people on board for the duration of the project was a challenge, but we overcame this by persistence and building their confidence and revealing to them their talents. As the project progressed we learned not to put too much emphasis on one particular age group but rather keep the doors open for all ages.
Lyrics from one of the songs created during the Elevate Programme:
No more dark days dragging me down
No more lonely fools masquerade
I’ve found the place where I should be,
Belief is the answer and hope is the key
Elevate and reach for the sky there’s no reason to doubt why
Elevate and come alive, a better life is waiting for you and I
