Bringing comfort, solidarity and hope to war refugees through music.
‘Welcome Notes Europe’ is Musicians Without Borders’ response to the arrival of refugees and migrants, people fleeing war, abject poverty and climate change, who have arrived in Europe since 2015. Welcome Notes began in the Netherlands but soon expanded to include trainings and pilot projects in Germany, Italy, Greece and Bosnia and Herzegovina. MWB adapted its already developed trainings from conflict regions to different target groups and situations among refugee populations in Europe.
Musicians Without Borders has engaged in various levels of partnerships and pilot projects with Musicians for Human Rights (Italy), Landesmusikakademie NRW (Germany), El Sistema Greece, SOS Emergency Response (Italy), IOM Greece and Save the Children NWB (Bosnia and Herzegovina). Projects have focused on capacity building and training of local musicians, who are then integrated into the regular programs of the partner organizations. MWB has tailored its expanded training program (with new modules incorporating training in trauma and self-care, Hip-Hop, working with adolescents and use of technology in workshops) to different target groups. Our expanded trainer team is now capable of adapting the program to suit local needs.
The main beneficiaries of the projects so far have been children and adults with a refugee background and unaccompanied asylum seeking children (UASCs).
We offer training for musicians, music teachers and workshop leaders from all cultural backgrounds who wish to increase their ability to use music as a tool to work towards the social inclusion and support of refugees and newcomers. This training has been specially adapted from our advanced training course and offers the necessary skills to lead music workshops with refugees in European communities.
The following skills and subjects are addressed in the training:
We’re open to discussing the implementation of Welcome Notes training opportunities with partner organizations in other European countries. Please contact: [email protected]
Currently Welcome Notes Europe is moving out of a pilot phase of activities with Save the Children in Bihać, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and we see the opportunity for a continued collaboration. This will include further training work with the local team of musicians and social workers, the alignment of MWB’s training program with Save the Children’s education activities and the delivery of regular music workshops for refugee and local children within Save the Children’s work in the Una-Sana region.
In addition, the collaboration in Heek, Germany, with the Landesmusikakademie NRW will continue with 3 more trainings Musicians Without Borders and MWB will remain able to respond to requests for training, advice or other collaboration with organizations in other countries, especially Greece and Italy.
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