Phase 1 complete for Hands Together
Hands Together, Southend Against Hatred is a simplistic yet poignant campaign that was launched in Nov 21 by Project Southchurch. The original idea was to sign a banner as a symbolic act of defiance to those who wish to divide us through hate and terror, following the tragic death of Sir David Amess, MP. It shows our strength through unity and that tolerance and diversity runs through the very heart of this new City. It also spotlights the positive actions of a community working together, challenging perceptions.
Over the summer holidays the creative team put together by The Song School, worked with a number of young people from the area to explore the concept of Hands Together, what it means to them and subsequently they created a new, original song due for release later this year.
The song, entitled ‘Unity’ is an uplifting celebration of everything that brings together the people of Southend. It was written and recorded in a week-long workshop at The Song School in Southend, during the summer holidays. Across the week, young people not only wrote the song, but also had the opportunity to take part in workshops in songwriting, recording and music production; learning news skills and harnessing the existing.
The team are now turning their attention to the accompanying music video - the second phase of this ambitious project. Young People are invited to take part in filming: from music performance, storyboarding, multimedia, directing and acting, there are opportunities to get involved both in front and behind the camera.
The project has received support from Arts Council England, Music on Sea and c2c rail. Of the project, Rob Mullen, Managing Director, at c2c Rail says; “We are really proud to be supporting this fantastic project. Safety and security on the railway are paramount to the team at c2c, and this extends beyond our stations. This initiative shows the care and support on offer in our local communities and we’re so pleased to play our part in this exciting project; we can’t wait to see what they come up with!”
Phase 2 will take place in the October half-term holidays. To find out more about the project including how to take part, please click here
