The Press Play Project

The Press Play Project is a project aimed at young people of Ashford and the surrounding boroughs of Kent, between the ages of 13 and 21, who have experienced negative events in their lives, which are now affecting how they view themselves and society.

We want to target young people who have been given the tags: anti-social, asbo, NEET (Not in employment, education or training), hard to reach and disadvantaged. We will work with the participants to help them identify the positive things about themselves, their lives and their communities by first looking at the negative through a series of workshops and coaching sessions. These activities will enable the participants to identify the good in every situation and engender an optimistic output on situations surrounding their lives.

Using a variety of musical production techniques, the participants will be tasked with creating musical pieces, which have a positive impact. We will teach about vocal arrangement and lyric writing included with the fundamentals of poetry and English language, how to produce and tell a story through musical instrumentals, how to express emotion through DJ mix masterclass workshops. Each of the participants will receive an Arts Award in recognition of the creative development and leadership skills achieved. We aim to use this opportunity to demonstrate the power of Positive Thinking and the Impact it can have on your life and community.

We will put on a showcase of the participants work and invite members of the local authorities and community to come and celebrate the achievements of the participants. The Press Play Project will invite friends, family, members of the local community and local authority to showcase where the achievements of the participants will be exhibited by both live and recorded performances, this will firstly boost the confidence of the participants and also demonstrate to everyone in attendance that the participants are capable to contribute to the community in a constructive and positive way, through music the participants will be able to communicate the ways in which they intend to turn bad situations into good ones thus encouraging the audience to be more optimistic and do the same in their own lives. Together, with the help of each participant, we will establish a transparent platform, which serves the community and empowers young males to visualise, plan and execute their dreams and aspirations.