Working with kids in Lismore and Murwillumbah after the floods Byron Bay NGO One Vision Productions (OVP) delivered two free hip-hop workshop programs to local youths residing in these flood-affected areas.
The multimedia workshop programs were funded under the ministerial office (Lismore) and by the Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal (FRRR) and led to the production of a music video by the Lismore crew that went viral on social media.
The young people collaborated with OVP on the multimedia project which they created and performed their own original rap song and music video.
The OVP ‘Music for Change’ program aims to bring Indigenous and non-Indigenous youth together through music and film, by channelling their creative expressions into a collaborative project to be shared with their wider communities and networks. It is an Indigenous-led not-for-profit based in the Northern Rivers. They engage at-risk and Indigenous youth in education and mental health awareness by providing evidence-based music and film programs. ‘OVP has been implementing youth-driven educational programmes for over a decade, and has measurably improved the lives of more than 10,000 young people in over 70 Indigenous communities,’ said an OVP representative Shavon De Zilva.
‘OVP’s programs bridge the gap between the mainstream curriculum and alternative education. Youth are given tools to tackle low self esteem, difficult life situations, depression and anxiety. OVP’s programs measurably improve youth self-expression and confidence. OVP has strong partnerships Australia wide, has gained a reputation as a pioneer in the youth mental health space and has won a multitude of awards that recognise this achievement.’
OVP seek to empower youths through self-directed learning and lonking them with creative passions through hip hop poetry, dance, DJing, filmmaking, performance arts and multimedia storytelling.
‘We help young people achieve their aspirations, by listening to them, empowering them and investing for their future,’ said OVP Founder, Mark Robertson.
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