What happens when young people reach the end of their journey as participants in age-limited programmes?..
About the session:
For many young people, joining groups and participating in extracurriculars run by charitable organisations is the perfect way to try something new, develop passions further, meet like-minded people, and potentially delve into unexplored career paths outside of school.
Some of these participants enjoy the experience so much that they become part of the organisation’s fabric, until it’s time for them to leave. But what happens when young people reach the end of their journey as participants in age-limited programmes? Beyond signposting potential careers and further opportunities, where do they continue to develop their skillsets or find employment opportunities once they become “too old”?
What to expect:
In this panel discussion, Sound Connections and the Sutherland-based social enterprise We Make Culture will reflect on how they have responded to this gap by creating training schemes that focus on developing their former participants into leading practitioners within their respective organisations and beyond.
Who is this session for:
Anyone who is working using a youth voice and participation approach in the music, creative and cultural sectors.
Laura Brewis (she/ her), Founder and Director of We Make Culture
Laura is the founder and director of We Make Culture. Previously she has worked at Sunderland Culture as Artist Development and Creative Industries Producer and was the Young People’s Programme Manager at New Writing North, developing their participatory work. She has worked as a consultant at ARC Stockton, Pop Recs, Sunderland City Council and TOWN. In 2021 she won a Local Hero Award from Association of Independent Musicians and in 2024 was named as one of the Big Issue’s Top Positive Changemakers 2024.
https://www.wemakeculture.co.uk/
Sophie Jackson (she/ her), YMP Assistant Music Leader, We Make Culture
Sophie is a multi-instrumentalist and drums in the band Claudia. In addition to attending We Make Culture’s Young Musicians Project for two years, she is now also studying for her BA in Music Performance at Sunderland College. In 2024, Sophie joined the We Make Culture team as the first YMP Assistant Music Leader, following her participation in the Peer to Peer project, which was supported by Sound Connections’ Innovate programme (see here).
Shakira Alleyne (she/her), Wired4Music Associate, Sound Connections
Shakira Alleyne is a writer and musician from London. Guided by an experimental ethos, her focus as an artist is to reconnect people with raw emotions and encourage critical questioning. Shakira has been involved in various grassroots projects including her Roundhouse residency and Brownswood’s talent initiative Future Bubblers. She has also worked with an array of prestigious brands such as Fred Perry, Universal and Vacheron Constantin. Making music has been a powerful outlet for Shakira over the years and this fuels her passion for creating exciting and inclusive musical opportunities for all.
Yasmine Dankwah (she/her), Wired4Music Associate, Sound Connections
Yasmine is a spoken word poet and playwright born and based in South-West London, passionate about sharing stories centring joy, lyricism, and nostalgia from a Black and working-class lens. She has performed at the Roundhouse and the Royal Court Theatre and an extract of her audio play ‘I used to know H.I.M’ was featured on BBC Radio London to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Hip-Hop. Yasmine initially worked with Sound Connections as part of the Workforce Development Programme in 2022 and is also a Wired4Music member.
How to Attend
Tickets to all Sound Connections’ events are currently fixed at just £15 (discounts and bursaries still apply, see below for details).
Free to young people aged 16-25, students and unwaged.
We want to ensure our training events are fully accessible and that cost is not a barrier. We therefore have a limited number of bursary places available to those who are unable to pay (subject to availability). Please email emily@sound-connections.org.uk to discuss the options.
