Big Leaf Foundation have an amazing writing and recording opportunity for young people aged 16 – 21 starting on Saturday 5 December. Big Leaf Foundation (BLF), a partner of Surrey Arts, is a local charity which works to support those displaced young people (refugees, asylum seekers and survivors of trafficking and modern slavery) who have been placed in Surrey to find their feet in resettlement. They do this by running a varied programme of different activities and opportunities, all of which are designed to support education and employability progression and enhance young people’s chances of securing a positive future here. These young people have many barriers to overcome in the UK, and social isolation is one of the biggest. COVID has had a huge impact on these young people, as they have been even more isolated than before, especially in Guildford.

BLF have just received funding for a new music project in partnership with Surrey Arts to bring young people from both displaced and local communities together. 

In brief, thanks to funding from the National Lottery, we are thrilled to announce the opportunity for displaced young people to come together with host community peers to work alongside some well-known professionals in writing and recording a song to be released at the beginning of 2021.  BLF will be working (remotely) with tutors from Surrey Arts , before a final recording session in the studio in December.  We also have Chesney Hawkes on board as our executive producer and the hiphop/drill and grime artist and DJ Chimpo on board to talk about life in the industry and lead a workshop on beats with those who want to do it.  We see this as a pilot project to extend similar cross-cultural musical and performance arts opportunities in Surrey from 2021 and will be welcoming all genres of music in all languages.

Full details can be found on the BLF website, including details of COVID safe arrangements. BLF also have risk assessments and safeguarding policies for this project available on request. 

If you know a young person who would be interested in being involved and would be available on the next three Saturday afternoons (2pm – 4pm) and for a recording day at ACM in January, (COVID rules permitting) please do contact BLF as soon as possible. We only have limited places and it would be a particularly useful opportunity, we think, for anyone with an interest in migration issues, community cohesion and world music styles.