The Oh Yeah Music Centre is launching its Big Music Survey to give young people the opportunity to have their voices heard in relation to access to music and music education, and how lockdown has affected them.
It is hoped that the survey will shape the youth outreach programmes delivered by the centre as they evaluate how Covid has impacted on the lives of the young people they work with.
In a statement, the centre said: "Oh Yeah is seeking the input from young people all over the region to be able to understand emerging patterns of youth engagement with music and also to grasp how much music has helped young people through the isolation and separation from their peers and wider social networks."
Manager of Youth Engagement at the Oh Yeah Music Centre, Sian Mulholland, says she hears regularly how important music has been for young people and is hopeful this will help quantify that: ‘The young people we engage with use music as a coping mechanism and as a shared experience with their friends.
"We want to understand how we can best provide platforms for young people to access local music, engage with the music industry and also how they can gain skills that will be transferable in other parts of their lives."
Flinn O’Grady, member of the ‘Youth Voices’ - Oh Yeah’s Youth Advisory Group who have helped put the survey together - wants to see projects like those Oh Yeah delivers opened up to young people all across NI.
"It’s not always fair that young people can’t have access to music lessons or music courses whether it’s in school or outside it, so hopefully with our survey we can see where needs it most so we can talk to decision makers to make it possible! Plus, you might win a £50 Amazon voucher just for answering the questions!"
The survey will be available until 1st February 2021 and can be completed by going to: https://bit.ly/ohyeahyouthsurvey.
Respondents will have the opportunity to enter themselves into a draw for £50 Amazon voucher and some local record store vouchers.
