Guest post by Compass Collective
Click here for the Zoom link.
Connecting to audio…
Enter the Compass Collective online session and be transported out of lockdown by the many smiling faces popping up in small boxes from all around the uk. Grinning faces make up the patchwork of young people coming together.
‘Who’s iphone? Hello iphone? Can you hear us?’
‘It’s me!’
‘Ah Mimi, so glad you could join today.’
‘Everyone put yourselves on mute and let’s start. We have an exciting announcement. We are going to make…
On-The-Line festival came to life as the lockdown took over.
As many creatives have experienced, we unfortunately had to cancel or postpone our upcoming theatre projects with young people seeking sanctuary in Birmingham, Leeds and London. This was hard for the Compass team, but as a small grassroots organisation we were able to adapt very quickly using online platforms to bring young people together and keep them connected, creative and moving forward in their lives.
The closure of schools, lack of routine, loss of direction and purpose, uncertainty about the future, as well as exposure to fake news and unhealthy online content, have affected the young people we work with. Having a community to seek advice from and connect with has never been more important.
Over the past few months we have been working over Zoom with young people from all over the UK and we found ourselves dreaming up a festival that would rival the likes of Glastonbury. We have been working together to write poems and stories, choreograph dances and write music, create stock motion animation, photography (the list goes on!). All this is being collated into an exciting short film. Despite lockdown, we needed to make sure that Refugee Week was still celebrated and the voices of our young people heard louder than ever.
We have partnered with Migration Matters festival and Shakespeare’s Globe, they will be streaming the On-the-Line festival film on the 20thJune at 7pm, the Saturday of Refugee Week. The film is full of life, celebration and hope, it reminds us to come together and unite in the times when it feels most challenging.
A few words from our ‘Compass Young Ambassador’ Ali:
Everyone was welcoming each other, even if we don’t know each other. People tried to help each other, with english. helping with translations.
Everyone was working very hard to get ready for the show. When someone shared their writing, everyone was supporting that guy.. It gives more hope and energy to the person who wrote something.
Now people can hear what refugees need and see how talented they are. And also lots of people have heard bad things about refugees and it’s good for people to find out that refugees can be positive and helpful for this country.
Watch the zoom trailer!