This February, Rotary Interact clubs from Brynmawr and Coed Cae have come together to raise funds for homeless through composing and recoding a song ‘I Can Achieve’.
The Interact clubs have been working with the local Gwent Police Community Officer Linzi Nicholls since last summer to learn more about what it means to be homeless, and circumstances that can lead someone to become homeless.
After understanding more about homelessness, the clubs wanted to do something to help, and began fundraising to make food parcels for the homeless.
The children have now been making food parcels every week, along with adding handwritten notes of encouragement to the parcels.
During the Christmas holidays, four children went to Newport to meet with Spectrum Homeless Project and meet some of the homeless people their food parcels were going to.
Hearing the stories about what led to these people to become homeless had a huge impact on the group. When they returned they told the rest of the about their experience which gave them an incentive to continue their project and fundraise harder to help as many homeless people as possible.
It is with this drive and determination, they decided to record a song. With the help of a local poet, Richard Hool and CSO Linzi Nicholls.
Members of the group Alisha White, Amber Healey, Darcy Ali and Jayden Healey performed the song live on air at local radio station BGfm. Other members of the youth group helped with the production of the recording.
Gwent Police Chief Constable Pam Kelly explained to the Gwent Police “These young people have worked so hard on this project and the commitment they show every week in making these food parcels for the homeless really is amazing.
Rotary GB&I President Donna Wallbank added “Hearing the song performed today has moved me to tears. I’m incredibly proud of our Interact clubs in Coed Cae and Brynmawr and the work they do to help others is fantastic. These young people have worked together to achieve so much as one – a group of young people who want to show the positive change they can make. I’d extend a welcome to any young people who want to join our groups.”
Rhiannon Brown, founder of Spectrum Homeless Project said to Gwent Police “We are humbled and very grateful to all the children, for the amount of effort and time spent producing their song, and their continual support of the homeless. Our project relies on donations and we’re so grateful for any support”.
If you would like to donate to the cause visit InteractSings JustGiving
If you’d like to find out more information about Rotary and Interact opportunities for young people, click here.
