Project Details | |
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Project Date | 2015 |
This project is linked with this show What the Health! |
Get in touch / Find Out more… |
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Email: sarah@soundartradio.org.uk |
Funders |
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The health of many of our young people is in crisis. Every day we hear stories about childhood obesity, addiction, teen pregnancy, mental health and self harm, and we all know someone affected by these issues. Services are struggling to cope with demand.
There is a wealth of information out there – and yet the important messages don't always get through. Young people can feel overwhelmed by conflicting advice, or patronised by a top down approach to public health. Knowing which lifestyle choices to make, and who to turn to when you are in trouble, can be hard.
Community Media offers a totally new solution to the problem. In our 'Feeling Sound' project, young people themselves are the health journalists, producers and commentators. They set the agenda – based on their own experiences and worries. They research the topics, interview health professionals and experts, and explore ideas and new ways to communicate them through poetry, song, sound collage and creative writing, thus creating unique radio features which are then broadcast to an audience of their peers.
We work with the youngest children from birth upwards, facilitating and celebrating outdoor play and healthy eating with young families, right up to young adults who explore hard hitting topics such as drugs, alcohol, self harm and sexual health. We tap into children and young people's enthusiasm for creative expression and technology, and they acquire new skills in audio production and the arts along the way. We work with some of the most vulnerable people in our community, including children with disabilities, LGBT young people, young carers and those outside of formal education.
Feeling Sound improves life for young people in three ways:
Through being creative, they learn new skills, grow in confidence, are valued and listened to. They are empowered to get their voices heard.
Through researching topics and meeting health professionals, participants understand a range of health and wellbeing issues better.
Through listening to, sharing and enjoying content created by their peers, audiences learn more about living well, and where to access the right support.
Feeling Sound was supported by the Big Lottery Fund's Awards for All programme in 2015. We are now looking for further funding to carry on this work.