Youth Day events held at the Nimbin School of Arts included a series of creative workshops during the day and in the evening a Youth Concert for 12 – 18 year olds. The concert included six local youth bands, dinner by Govinda Dam, Uki Krishna Community, the Rainbow Chai Tent and Nimbin Youth Events Photo Booth.
Workshops
Workshops were one hour in duration and ran from 10.30 am – 4.30pm. It was decided to open the workshops up to all ages to provide greater inclusion and attendance. The workshops were well attended with a mix of young and old, children and families as well as general members of the public. They provided a lot of fun and enjoyment as well as the opportunity to learn new skills whilst connecting with community members.
Workshops included:
- Body Percussion – Greg Sheehan
- Bollywood Dancing – Asha
- Ukelele – Andrea Solere
- Taiko Drumming – Peter Jaggle
- Art – Create Groovy Fridge Magnets– Marta Ribon Calabia
Youth Concert
The event was attended by 124 young people. They spread out through the space, enjoying the live entertainment, sharing dinner with friends on the verandah, playing cards and other games in the chill spaces, sitting around the fire in the garden, purchasing chai and cakes at the Rainbow Chai tent and speaking with the elders there as well as having instamatic photos taken with their friends at the photo booth. They were also able to take in Peter Derret’s iconic photos on exhibition in the hall.
Six local youth bands from Nimbin and surrounds were invited to perform. They received huge appreciation from the crowd with much dancing and requests for encores. It was great to showcase local talent and inspire our young people to pursue their creative passions. The bands all expressed their gratitude for the opportunity and to be part of this iconic event.
The Youth Concert followed the same format as previous events provided by the Nimbin Youth Events team and was a great success, receiving excellent feedback from both the attendees, their parents and the wider community, as well as the catering and technical teams.
Young people were involved where possible to assist with organisation and running of the event, including Stage Management, MC, set up and pack down. Thirteen parent helpers assisted with marketing and promotion, ticket sales, supervision and security.
Funding
Funding was received from the Chamber of Commerce and Nimbin Hills Real Estate, and was used to cover the costs of facilitator and performer fees. The Hemp Embassy made a donation to the Chai Tent to subsidise their costs and enable reduced prices for the youth patrons. Govinda Dam reduced their prices to accommodate youth patrons as well.