A group of young people from North Belfast have come together for an exciting music and film project funded by the the Department of Communities, and led by industry specialists Belfast Electronic Arts and Music Academy (BEAMA) in collaboration with Westland Community Centre, Cliftonville Community Centre and YEHA.

Uniting Communities aims to deliver projects which will promote good relations and reconciliation through sport, physical and creative activity by addressing the barriers to community participation that some young people face.

The ten week programme used the medium of club DJing and film to engage the young people in connecting with different communities and cultures, through exploring different types of music and film from a range of backgrounds, then bringing them together in a live DJ mix and produced short film.

36 young people aged 12-18 took part in the programme that saw them learn how to use state of the art DJ and film equipment, plan a DJ set and short film, and gain a greater understanding of how music and film can cross cultural divides and bring people together.

The programme culminated with a special launch event on 28th March, that saw some of the young DJs take to the decks to perform in front of invited guests, friends and family. The event heard speeches from BEAMA, the Department for Communities and the community groups, and saw a screening of the final short film.

John Walls, from BEAMA, said of the programme,

“It has been a pleasure working with the young people from North Belfast, who have never failed to impress us with their skills, and ability to have an open mind while learning about music from across different cultures.”