Supported by the Bluestone Foundation and Arts Council of Wales, our new Only Boys Aloud project in West Wales is proving very successful! We are over the moon with the number of teenagers and young men joining our choirs in Pembrokeshire, Ceredigion, and Carmarthenshire. We met with one of our new West Wales participants for a conversation about how his time with OBA is going…
Conversation with Noah
The young carer aged 17 from Pembroke, who looks after his sister and recently started work at Bluestone National Park Resort, Narberth, said the experience has already made him more confident in the few months since joining a choir. Even though he hated his singing voice, the choir was much more than about singing:
“I think the main thing that stood out for me is how inclusive it is for everyone. And even though I hated my singing voice (and at times still do) and wasn’t very confident about it, it’s as if someone is just sat there saying: ‘I don’t mind how good or bad you sing, just come along to it. Have fun, socialise, and enjoy it’, rather than seeing it as a thing you have to be good at to join.”
Noah joined as he wanted a chance to socialise more.
“It’s nice because there is a big range of different people from different backgrounds and the conversations you have are quite nice, and you find out things about each other that you wouldn’t know otherwise. Even if you’re friends on social media, you learn things you wouldn’t have found out about them. So, it’s nice to have different conversations, and get to know other people from across the county.”
“It was a nice warming setting right from the start, where everyone felt like they were safe to talk, safe to be who they are, rather than everyone sitting down strictly and saying, ‘you do this, you do that.’ It’s more ‘What do you want to do as a young person. How can we help you get to where you want to go?’ – rather than just telling us where you want us to be.”
Our new choirs are being supported by The Bluestone Foundation which launched in 2010, and has distributed over £250,000 in grants across Pembrokeshire. The Foundation strives to help people help themselves and to principally assist projects falling into economic, social, and environmental categories.
In July this year, we are holding two 10th anniversary concerts where some of our new West Wales members will get the chance to sing with other groups. They will also have the opportunity to sing on our new album which celebrates us reaching this 10-year milestone as a charity. Hannah Beadsworth, our Development Manager, said Noah is a typical example of a choir member;
“We don’t expect them to be able to sing straight away. It’s about offering them a place to go and socialise and then developing their singing ability as part of the process to help them socialise more, become confident and help them raise their self-esteem.
Noah cares for his sister and works and so he doesn’t have a lot of time to socialise. And if he does, it might not be with a wide group of people where he can talk openly or make new friends. That’s where Only Boys Aloud is different, and we use song to help.”
“An inspiration…”
Yvonne Buckingham of the Bluestone Foundation said Noah is an inspiration and an example of the sort of young person OBA supports. She said:
“OBA has already helped hundreds of teenagers and young men in Wales. We wanted to help them reach out to many more in West Wales where the same issues are affecting people as they do anywhere else. By providing financial support we know they can undertake the weekly choir lessons and get togethers, leading up to the concerts in July. There are so many young people benefiting from the charity.”
Noah said singing had helped him in many ways. He already writes speeches and articles, as well as giving talks and hosting his own podcast about “the silent cries of the young generation.”
He’s an advocate for young people, many of whom have social, wellbeing and other issues that aren’t necessarily often talked about, particularly in rural areas such as West Wales. He added:
“I’m in the middle of putting together a whole series of speeches about the silent cries of the young generation. Hopefully that’s all being launched in June. I’m planning to do a campaign with it to push it out as far as I can, and hopefully get a few podcasts and news stories in. The idea of the extra confidence I’ve got from singing has made me go ‘you know what, I don’t mind what people think when they hear it.’ If it helps one or two people, and makes one or two people smile, that’s all I mind about.”
Due to coronavirus regulations, our choirs have not been able to meet in person all the time, with virtual meetings taking place on video calls. However, wherever possible, physical choir meetings have taken place in a safe environment and within the regulations permitted.Elin Llwyd, OBA West’s Project Manager, added:
“We don’t expect them to be able to sing from the offset. It’s about offering them a safe, comfortable, and welcoming environment to mix and socialise with like-minded young people. Their singing ability develops naturally as part of this process as we help and encourage them to socialise more, whilst raising their self-esteem and confidence levels.”
We look forward to checking in with other new members soon and see how they are developing. To join a choir please click here. More information about the Bluestone Foundation can be found here.
