We have joined forces with fellow Silvertree Holdings brands; Cybercellar, Faithful to Nature and UCOOK to make a difference in Langa. Here is what you need to know!

Over the last few months, Silvetree Holding companies, Cybercellar, Faithful to Nature, CompareGuru and UCOOK have been looking for a worthwhile cause to get behind and support. When Bridges for Music appeared, it pulled at all of the right heart-strings and the collective four decided that this was something we all wanted to get behind.

So, what is the project all about and how are we making a difference? Here is the story.
 

The concept is a non-profit organization mobilizing and connecting the music industry to create a long-lasting impact on young people through new creative education. We can all agree that music connects people from across all walks of life, breaks cultural barriers and builds connectedness. This was vital for the organisation, therefore, to reach out to the community through the language of music.

The project was established in Langa, a large informal settlement outside Cape Town, and was set up with its foundations firmly placed in the global music industry. The project is based around hosting dozens of workshops, mobilizing industry leaders such as Grammy Award-winning artist Skrillex and local icon Black Coffee to lead the charge in helping to draw disconnected youths in this community back to education.

The school is a state-of-the-art, creative space that reaches out to the community to provide safe, nurturing and engaging learning environments that best serve the skills of the students. Their aim is to use it to use the space to disrupt the traditional and very broken current learning system. Through thorough research into the community, they started to understand the daily struggles of the youth, and their living and learning challenges.

It was then, imperative for the organisation to, therefore, develop an alternative curriculum to tap into outlets where young creatives are more open to learning. Here they are free to learn innovative life pillars like life skills, emotional intelligence, conflict resolution, technology, design thinking, mindfulness and entrepreneurship, to complement the cutting-edge pragmatic skills – such as music production, animation and film – that they will develop to build creative careers.

The project opens up a bridge between the community and its development and a global network of music leaders. The outcome is to create real tangible job creation opportunities and make Langa a global destination for young artists and creatives.
 

We loved the concept of what the organisation is creating and decided to get involved in assisting with their outdoor development which linked up perfectly with our brands.The outdoor area will become an inspiring and safe oasis of creativity, with special art features, a multipurpose function space, a stage for local artists to perform and an urban farming corner.

They are in the final phase of their construction and are in the process of implementing an urban farming feature. Designed by Urban Harvest, the farm will make the school sustainable in every way. From job creation to education and an actual source of food, it’s a donation with a vision for nutritional education in the future.

The dynamic Urban Farm will create;

• Regular classes focusing on nutritional education for the community;
• A source of local organic ingredients;
• A music and arts academy events space for the community;
• Community upliftment through ongoing education with a curriculum covering numerous topics in a holistic and engaging way.

Collectively, we will donate R2 for every entry we get for the competition, and aim to raise R200,000 to make the dreams of this community come true.