Local Workshops
After attending the Training of Trainers workshop in Herlany, Slovakia, in February 2023, project partners learnt how to implement their own Songs For Change workshops with young people in their local communities.
Greece
Participants were between 14 to 24 years old, and a mix of junior high school students, high school students or university students. They came from from Greece, Romania, Pakistan, Egypt, Ukraine, Albania, Germany and Cameroon.Some had a refugee background.
The song they created "Stay Unique" and the band that was created, named: "Believe Wings" aimed to raise overall awareness towards those with fewer opportunities.
Slovakia
The workshop by Association for a Better Life was attended by 20 young people aged between 15-21 years old from the village Kecerovce. These young people had a strong connection to music, as many of them are students of musical school or are amateur musicians.
During the workshop they discussed EU values through various fun and creative activities. It was important to give these youngsters a voice and platform to express themselves, rather than just unnaturally force the theme of EU values into their songs.
They wrote several songs, and so far have recorded two, which deal with the important topics of equality, law and freedom. They are planning to continue with song creation and recording in the future, because the young participants came up with so many ideas and inspired lyrics.
Listen to their songs: "Kamadži phuv" (Promised Land) and DŽIVIPEN” (Life).
Netherlands
During a series of 7 workshops, +10 young adults worked together to create new songs about EU values at the Het Wilde Westen cultural centre. After the workshops were done, they organised a concert where the group performed our 4 new songs live for an audience!
The weekend after that, they made recordings of the songs and shot material for the music video. As they are a diverse group with a lot of different nationalities, their group song ‘Rohil Mohattama’, became the cherry on their pie.
Literally, ‘Rohil Mohattama’ means "my crushed soul" in Arabic, sounding dramatic indeed, but it is a multilingual call for human dignity, and also a very nice song!'
Listen to their song: "Rohil Mohattama" here.
Italy
As the local site for implementing the Songs for Change workshop, the YEPP ITALIA network chose the local site of Albenga, which is teeming with young artists this year. 15 young people aged 13-18 participated in the workshop and many of them were from the local music high school or had music experience gained outside of school.
The EU value these young people hold most dear is freedom. They all showed great autonomy during the week-long program - to the extent that the participants sometimes even spontaneously took over the running of the workshop! The result of their efforts is the song "Spazio e Tempo" ("Space and Time"), which talks about how freedom is not just an abstract value but something to be sought in everyday life.
Listen to their song: "Spazio e Tempo" here.
Portugal
The workshop by Young Educators took place in Agrupamento de Escolas Nuno Gonçalves, one of the oldest schools in Lisbon, where trainer Rosário Lucena is a musical teacher! She gathered some of her most talented and brilliant students to participate in the Songs for Change workshops.
The 7 participants - 3 boys and 4 girls - were all Portuguese and they had a lot to bring to the table and share with the world.
Their song is mainly about freedom and equality, which were the main EU values during the workshops. Their song talks about creating a community that fights for a purpose in a united and committed way. One of the main points discussed throughout the workshops was how “unity makes strength”, which is a concept used often in Portugal that represents how causes should be defended together, because together we are stronger and we are able to spread across our message more effectively.
Listen to their song 'Around the World' here.