The power of partnerships: uniting music, community, and culture around mental health.
As a charity which believes in the profound role that music and media can play in transforming individual lives and livelihoods, we recognise the value that lies in partnering with other cultural organisations and events. Not only do these partnerships secure a vital, alternative source of income for us, but they present an opportunity to extend our reach beyond our normal boundaries and across new forums, thereby forging new connections within our community and beyond. Two salient examples include our partnerships with local festival producers Cross The Tracks (taking place this weekend in Brockwell Park, Brixton) and with Cloud X (taking place in mid-August in Beckenham Place Park, Lewisham). This year at Cross The Tracks Festival, Raw Material will be hosting a number of sessions that showcase the kind of work we engage in, as well as the ideas underpinning it. These include a panel discussion on music and mental health, one of our regular singing workshops, and, another regular workshop, a live session of ‘mindful music’ making.
We’re very pleased, not only to have the opportunity to be a named partner of these cultural organisations, but also to be actively involved in the proceedings of the festivals themselves. The power of partnerships like these is due to fact there is a whole host of ways people can engage with the charity and the work we do, and our physical presence at public events gives us the opportunity to demonstrate this. Festivals attract diverse communities of creative people that include young and emerging artists, creative practitioners, those lacking in experience or resources, as well as those experiencing a negative mental health condition. Raw Material’s programmes and services target all of these groups in different ways: by offering aspiring creatives the essential training and resources to develop themselves as artists; by opening the facilitation of programmes up to members of the community; and by delivering programmes which use creative and social activities to improve wellbeing.
The presence of a mental health charity, such as ourselves, at high profile cultural events also bodes fantastically well for the perception and discussion of mental health in society. No longer is mental health a forbidden topic, nor experiences of mental ill-health a guarded secret. Festival attendees might tacitly feel invited consider the relationship between music, creativity and mental health - a topic which, at Cross The Tracks, Raw Material will actively be discussing. It’s common knowledge that mental health matters when it comes to being creative, but what’s still imperative to highlight in the public discussion about mental health is the inverse: that creativity can be instrumental in the bolstering of mental health, something which the work of Raw Material attests to.
We are indebted to our festival partners for their willingness to work with us and to spread awareness about our work and our values. If you are interested in attending either of these upcoming events, follow the links below.
