The Music & Arts Center, a joint project of Dream Day Foundation, Questscope and Playing for Change Foundation, includes a State-of-the-Art Recording Studio
ZAATARI REFUGEE CAMP, Jordan, Sept. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — Global superstar Ellie Goulding joined Syrian refugees in the Zaatari Refugee Camp for the grand opening of the Zaatari Music & Arts Center. Whilst at the camp, Ellie observed Syrian cultural music performances; interacted with young entrepreneurial female visual artists and saw a gallery of their work; took in a girls dance troupe performance with members from age 4-14 and recorded the first vocals in the newly set up recording studio. This new facility will offer youth a safe haven within the camp from which they will have the opportunity to overcome trauma through the arts and find their self-identity.
“It was an honor to visit Zaatari today,” Ellie said, “For those that have lost everything, displaced from their homes, music and the arts can be powerful tools in healing trauma and reclaiming personal identity through creativity. I witnessed the most talented young musicians and artists today, and it was an incredible privilege to meet them. We must not forget that 110M people are currently forcibly displaced from their homes, which is the most since World War II. We must face up to this crisis together, as a global community.”
Thanks to a partnership between Playing For Change Foundation (PFCF) Questscope, and Dream Day Foundation (DDF), the youth among the 85,000 residents (60% of which are under 25) of the Zaatari Refugee Camp in Jordan now have access to culturally-based music and arts education. This new offering will provide classes in Guitar, Drums, Oud, Voice & Dance, as well as a recording studio and community performance space.
Students will additionally have the opportunity to collaborate with other PFCF participants from their other 50+ locations in 19 countries across the globe – including in recording, performance, and music video production. Today’s event was sponsored by the Fairmont Amman which generously hosted Ellie and the PFCF, Questscope and DDF delegation.
Today’s event was sponsored by the Fairmont Amman which generously hosted Ellie and the PFCF, Questscope and DDF delegation.
A link to photos taken by FARRAS ORAN can be found here:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1riCoJ2zS-hwEdWbKg-vNwe6QjxsAEbbE?usp=sharing
A long-standing activist and philanthropist, multi-platinum singer/songwriter Ellie Goulding uses her platform to engage young people with global issues. Her environmental work dates to 2017, when she was awarded the UN’s New Voices Award, and in recognition of her wider activism became a goodwill ambassador for UN Environment. In 2022 Goulding also became a TIME100 Impact Award winner, was named an ambassador for the WWF and was honored by the UN Association as a Humanitarian of the Year.
About Playing For Change Foundation
Founded in 2007, PFCF grew out of a common belief that music has the power to connect people regardless of their differences while creating positive and wide-reaching social impact through music and arts education. Its efforts engage marginalized youth in diverse communities around the world. Although its programs are generally located in low income communities, these areas are home to great cultural wealth which is utilized to create educational and social opportunities. PFCF currently operates 50 music programs in 19 countries, and has positively impacted more than 40,000 lives, including more than 3,000 youth each week through regular programming. For more information, visit PlayingForChange.org, email [email protected], or follow @PlayingForChangeFoundation on Instagram and Facebook.
About Questscope
Questscope is an international non-governmental, non-profit organization founded in 1988 with the goal of putting the last, first. We rely on a theory of social change that recognizes the interconnected nature of individual transformation, institutional response, and policy changes at the governance level. For 30 years, Questscope has rigorously applied this model in partnership with dozens of community, government, and international organizations.
About Dream Day Foundation
Inspired by a visit to Zaatari Refugee Camp in Jordan in 2018, Dream Day was founded by Todd Krim to bring music to refugees as a form of healing, inspiration, creativity and skills training. A signature
component of Dream Day is the establishment of Dream Day Recording Studios in refugee camps where refugees can learn to produce music alongside other refugees as well as major recording artists. Follow Dream Day on Instagram @DreamDayOrg
Media Contact
Todd Krim, The Krim Group, 1 3109277910, [email protected], www.TheKrimGroup.com
SOURCE Playing For Change Foundation
