The Rap Girls at The Children’s Rights Film Festival
From 14-18th August, we once again combined and brought together children’s rights and rap music. During this week-long workshop, 10 enthusiastic girls talked about children’s rights and shared their own experiences with the right to protection, freedom of expression, exclusion and discrimination. Together, they presented a clear message: “Es wird Zeit, dass du uns zuhörst!” – “It’s time you listen to us.”
Their empowering anthem “Wir sind wir“ and the full music video of the “Rap girls” was premiered on December 8th – 10th at the Children’s Rights Film Festival organised by Kijufi. Their powerful song graced the big screen three times, after winning the hearts of the audience and being voted as the public’s favourite. 🏆
After the film screening, the Rap Girls were invited on stage to stand up and advocate for the rights of young women in Germany, bravely addressing the challenges they face. Despite any nerves, their message was clear: ‘Don’t Discriminate, Don’t Hate.
A heartfelt thank you to Kifuji for organising this wonderful festival, Niksen and VIP Kontaktladen for helping to create and record the song, and, of course: The Rap Girls – Maral, Bahar, Sarina, Dareen, Dalya, Kehinde, Alima, Taiwo Allya, Demilate Mariam, Emily, Lucy.
Feel the Beat of Change: Melodies of Unity in Times of Uncertainty: Songs For Change Online Music Festival
On December 7th, over 60 people from around the globe came together online to experience the magic of music and unity. We listened to incredible young artists who shared their Human Rights songs with us, and we discussed how we wish the world to Change as well as connected with the themes of Human Rights, Rule of Law, Democracy, Equality, Freedom and Human Dignity!
We were completely blown away by their artistic visions for a better world and their amazing music videos. If you missed the festival – don’t worry, you can listen to all their songs and watch the recording on our youtube channel. (Link in Bio)
A BIG BIG THANK YOU to everyone involved: all the organisations, the talented young musicians, as well as the audience, who all helped to make it a very special event.
Songs for Change Youth Exchange at Het Wilde Westen, Utrecht, Netherlands
From 5th – 10th of September the Songs For Change Partners travelled to Utrecht for our International Youth Exchange. During the week-long program, young participants learnt about EU Values, as well as having the chance to express themselves using music as the main tool.
The young people, who came from all around Europe, enthusiastically shared their unique perspectives and collaborated with each other to create some very powerful and moving songs. They developed their songwriting techniques through group brainstorming and visualisation exercises, with a specific focus on how EU values can be expressed and advocated through music.
At the end of the week, the young musicians performed in front of an invited audience full of special guests, and made live recordings of their Songs For Change. We were completely blown away by everyone’s electric energy, enthusiasm, confidence and talent!
If you are curious to listen to their songs, head over to our youtube channel and watch some of their powerful performances.
Songs For Change: Online Sound Factory
In September, ahead of the Songs For Change Youth Exchange in Utrecht, 21 participants and young musicians got together to collective collaborate online and begin the song creation process. They went into breakout rooms to discuss the meaning and importance of the 7 EU Values:
- Human dignity.
- Freedom.
- Equality.
- Rule of law.
- Democracy
- Human rights.
Each group created a short poem about what these values meant to them, which you can read below. Which are your favourites?
Songs for Rights, Lliçà de Vall, Spain
This song was produced by a group of young people through a Songs for Rights workshop in the music school “La Vall del Tenes” in the Catalan municipality of Lliçà de Vall in Spain. The song is in Catalan and Spanish.
Songs for Change @ Tricone Studios, Berlin
In July 2022, Songs for Change partners from seven countries came together in Tricone Studios for the first transnational partners meeting in Berlin. Over 2 days we went through all the topics of the project including the planning of international events and developing project results. We loved joining our voices in collaboration and support for EU values like democracy, freedom, and equality.
In the evening, we recorded “We Will Add Many!” an original song about EU Values which we all wrote together.
Songs for Rights, Berlin, Germany
The second Berlin Songs for Rights workshop was held from the 18th to 22nd of July, 2022 where a group of young people spent 5 days learning about children’s rights and rap music; exploring various forms of self-expression and advocacy; and, with the help of rapper Niki Niksn, Kontaktladen VIP, and Broken Bell Studios, writing and producing their own song and music video taking a stand against bullying!
Songs for Rights Italy
In the summer of 2021, a Songs for Rights project focused on children’s rights was implemented in four different communities in the North of Italy: Falchera (a district of Turin), Albenga, Langhe, and Monviso. There was a four-day workshop with children and teenagers who learned about children’s rights and produced their own song and video clip. This was followed by a final event in Albenga, where the produced songs and videos were presented performed live to an audience of peers, parents, community stakeholders, funders and policy makers. This project was funded by Intesa Sanpaolo.
Songs for Rights @ GU Degnerstrasse Berlin
From 12 to 16 July 2021, a Songs for Rights workshop focused on children’s rights was held with refugee children in the Gemeinschaftsunterkunft (GU) Degnerstrasse in Berlin. The participants learned about the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child, discussed why these rights are important to them, and produced their own children’s rights song and video clip. This project was funded by the foundation Hele Avus Stiftung.