Young Roots
Music for Change is a community arts charity based in Canterbury. They help children and young people to fulfill their creative potential while celebrating cultural diversity, for example through music and dance workshops in schools.
The charity combined heritage, sport and music to break down barriers between teenagers across east Kent. Participants included refugees and young people from disadvantaged backgrounds. The young people researched the lives and achievements of overseas cricketers who had played for Kent County Cricket Club (KCCC). They chose to focus on Asif Iqbal, John Shepherd, Carl Hooper and Bernard Julien. Staff from Canterbury Cathedral Archives helped the young people carry out their research.
The group listened to Calypso and Bhangra music to help learn about the cultural heritage of the players. This inspired them to compose their own song based on their research, called ‘There's A Lime Tree Inside the Boundary’. They performed the song at a cricket match between Kent and Sri Lanka ‘A’. This was a major achievement given that English was not the first language for many of the participants.
The young people also led the development of an exhibition at Canterbury Museum, which included a film of the project made by the group, and artefacts from KCCC. The film and a recording of the group’s song were included on the Music for Change website.
Participants developed a wide range of skills through the project, enhanced their self-esteem and increased their understanding of diversity within their communities.