Successful bid creates music opportunities for displaced children in Surrey

Surrey Arts has been successful in securing just under £100k of funding from Youth Music, for a 2 year programme of activity for displaced young people across Surrey. Youth Music is a national music charity that invest in music-making projects for young people and along with generous additional match funding from partners, Alliance for Better Care (NHS), Big Leaf Foundation and Arts Partnership Surrey, the funding will enable Surrey Arts to expand its current delivery programmes ensuring we are able to build on this worthwhile and much needed provision.

The project, which is fully funded for the next 2 years will be called I Speak Music:Next generation with the aim to improve participants' musical skills, improve participants' wellbeing and develop participants' engagement within their host communities. The programme will include a range of activities including music lessons and both online and face to face music ensembles for children who have asylum-seeker or refugee status.

Project lead Jim Pinchen said 'We are absolutely delighted that Youth Music have awarded Surrey Arts with this grant. The funding will allow us to expand our music programmes for children who are living in Surrey after being internationally displaced due of war, persecution and/or climate change.'

Sarah Lee, Service Manager for Surrey Art said "We are so proud of our work with displaced communities across Surrey, and this funding will have a huge impact in helping us to build a programme that reaches more young people and is lasting. We are hugely grateful to Youth Music and our local partners for their support and for providing funding".