Music Hubs Conference
Last week we were invited to speak at a conference called by Dr Cayenna Ponchione-Bailey and Wiltshire Music Connect, which brought together the music hubs of Swindon, Newham, Southampton, and Surrey in addition to specialists of Afghan music, cultural practice, and people with lived asylum-seeking experience to discuss the crucial context and study that anyone hoping to engage with recently arrived Afghan communities needs to understand before designing and launching an attempt to provide well-intended support.
Our main contribution to the discussion was to share our expertise in providing trainings that help to prepare organisations and practitioners to engage with traumatised communities through creative engagement. Should you also be interested in these services, visit our Train with Us tab.
Sincere thanks to the organisers, and all who participated in this fabulous community effort to engage responsibly with communities with complex needs who are regularly falling through the cracks of current systems.
FUND YOUR LOCAL MUSIC HUB! Community engagement and youth support through music and all creative practices are what keep us all going.
To be kept in the know about any future conference follow @WiltsHub on Twitter or @wiltshiremusicconnect on Facebook
Introductions and Overview
Dr Cayenna Ponchione-Bailey, founder International Campaign for Afghan’s Musicians & conference organiser
Nick Howdle and Ruth Jones, of Wiltshire Music Service & conference organisers
Music and Musicians of Afghanistan
Mirwaiss Sidiqi, Former Director, Aga Khan Institute of Music, Afghanistan
Music Education in Afghanistan
Lauren Braithwaite, Doctoral Candidate, University of Oxford
Guidance on Music-Making with Young Refugees
Alyson Frazier, Play for Progress
Experiences from the Field
Merzia Qahramany and Halema Malek, participants in the Displaced Voices Project
James Pinchen, Surrey Music Hub
What Do Children and Families from Afghanistan Want from our Music Services?
Bashir Paiman, BBC Journalist
Questions and Discussion
