Students launch powerful song
A song carrying a powerful message of friendship and inclusion has been launched by students attending supportive training courses in Cork.
Penned by and performed by students at National Learning Network (NLN) in Hollyhill, ‘Find Your People’ was launched last week alongside a vibrant music video, filmed across the city. Students from the Directions and Skills for Life courses at NLN collaborated over recent months to complete the project. They were supported by the Kabin Studio in Hollyhill which hosted music production workshops and recorded the track.
Several students from NLN Hollyhill spoke of their experience working on the project and how particular themes emerged during the workshops, which formed the central messages of friendship and mental wellbeing.
Speaking about the impact NLN has had on her life, Alison from the Directions course said: “I was diagnosed with autism 2 years ago and I joined NLN a few months later. I was very quiet, I wouldn’t really talk much, then suddenly when I came in and joined the group, I started meeting friends and doing art and music. The project has boosted my confidence.”
Fellow student Chantelle from the Skills for Life course said she also struggled with social connection before joining NLN. “When I was in school, I could never get along with people; people would misjudge too fast and they wouldn’t take the time to get to know me. So it took me years and years to try to at least find people that actually understood me. So, when I came here to NLN, it gave me the courage to blend with people.”
Commenting on ‘Find Your People’, Chantelle added: “I’d say the song is going to have a massively positive effect on people. When I was in the workshop I was still very, very shy, but the message in the song is that even when people are going through darkest times, there is still going to be light at the end of the tunnel. It’s that you have somewhere to go to, even when times seem dark.”
Adrian Brady, instructor of the Directions course, said: “The phrase ‘life’s not easy’ is repeated throughout the song but ultimately the message of the song is to ‘find your people’, and we knew that had to be the title.”