WAGGA WORKSHOP UPDATE

November 21, 2013

The state’s largest inland city has grown to become a pivotal area for Heaps Decent, with several concurrent projects being carried out in Wagga on a bi-monthly basis; an extensive output of music resulting from the sessions there. Each fortnight our facilitators, mostly Adam Bozzetto and Stu Turner, travel down to work with young people from a range of centres in the area including the Riverina Juvenile Justice Centre, Riverina Community College as well as Narrandera High School and the Bidgee School, a local school for young people with learning difficulties. These projects are currently funded by the St George Foundation and the Department of Immigration and Citizenship.

It’s been several months since I’ve been able to make the trip down with Adam, who has become a fixture in the juvenile detention centre staff room, recounting tales of his recent travels to the interested staff. It was great to see the levels of enthusiasm from the workshop participants, many of the boys at the juvenile detention centre arrived to the classroom excited to record some of their own material prepared in order to do so. Following the day at the juvi, we made our way to the Riverina Community College, where a group of dedicated young people from Sierra Leone and Sudan overflowed from the studio!

The second day in Wagga we set up camp for a full school day of workshops at the juvi. It was amazing to see the guys returning to know the workshop formula and with no messing around they took to the mic with vigour. We hopped on the plane having completed a quality batch of tracks with the budding participants and I can’t wait to get back down there!

Make sure you get along to the Heaps Decent Showcase at Goodgod next Wednesday in order to see these guys take to the stage…!

Words: Charlie O’Brien