"Look
towards
the sunshine and shadows will fall behind you"
- Walt Whitman -
Sounds for freedom
We don’t need to cross borders to be of help. In our country there are - unfortunately - so many people seeking for freedom, that there is a need for care in all kinds of ways. With our projects we want to be of help to those who feel captivated. This can be an inner freedom or literally inspiring people to break down their walls and take their chances in life, take their power back. Our projects focus on refugee children, women, teenage girls and children in abusive situations.
Music can provide freedom in emotional ways to release inner obstacles and therefore give space for growth. It can heal emotional wounds. It can also inspire people to take steps that help them to evolve. And it can bring people together, form communities. Any form of music is a therapy for the soul.
​
We write songs and make short films , we organise music projects/ music lessons in asylum seeker centers and newcomers schools, organise concerts to bring people togehter and are open to work with women organisations for empowerment trough music. All with the main goal: sounds for freedom!
“When a rose is growing, wait for it to open up. The colours will surprise you, a perfume of love.”
- Evelien Graat, founder -
Free as a Songbird
Our first project - Free as a Songbird - gives refugee and newcomers children the opportunity to speak the Dutch language, while learning this through music. The ability to communicate is the first step to freedom in society. Language therefore is a means, not an end. Communication has more forms than just language; expression of emotions is one of the ways. We invoke children to express themselves through songwriting and teach them Dutch songs we've written. Besides that: singing is a perfect way to practice the sound formation of our language. The repetition of music exercises stimulates active listening and articulation. With writing songs they tell their story in their own way. When they have done this in the lessons and performances, they experience success and growth and hopefully heal a bit of their trauma, which all leads to inner freedom. Music is a universal language!
Please donate!
Our next (big) step is to create an online learning platform for all the (about) 500 newcomers & AZC schools in the Netherlands. In this platform, teachers and children can access our music method with the following:
-
Songs that help to learn Dutch
-
Video's with singing exercises
-
Educational games
We are looking for partners to support and build this dream with us!
‘Every child is a different kind of flower and all together make this world a beautiful garden.’
- Fred Rogers -
Vision
The lotus flower symbolises life and transformation in many cultures. Moving from dark to light, the flower stands for the eternal renewal of life, new opportunities or a new beginning and also for clarity, purity and protection.
The roots of the lotus come from a dark bottom and when it grows a beautiful flower is formed. This wonderful flower could not have come to existence without the firm muddy bottom. The darkness of the bottom also represents the past, it shows that the past will always be there and forms us, but we can rise above it. Our past shapes us, but does not define who we are, we can rise above ourselves. With the right soil we can escape the darkness and show our beauty, just like the lotus flower.
Volunteers
Sounds for freedom is a start-up NGO, working with volunteers to make our work not only interesting for our audience, but also as a learning community for everyone who works with us.
There are positions open for volunteer jobs, so contact us if you like to be of help!
We offer a safe working environment with lots of possibilities to learn and grow, where own initiative is very welcome and open communication is the key to a friendly working space.
This job is not 'work', it's a community where we wish to attract likeminded people.
Donate
Your donation, big our small, helps us to do our work. Please donate and be of help to thousands of refugee children.
​
We appreciate every donation, for only 50 cent per day you can sponsor a child to learn the Dutch language through music!
​
Wish to donate as a company? We are super happy to get in touch and give something back in return to support both of our dreams.
​
A monthly or annual gift helps us to do our work consistently and therefore grow the amount of children we educate.
​
Do you build this dream with us?
Our ambassadors
All of our music teachers and musicians are ambassadors of Sounds for freedom, some of our special guests are found below. They have achieved freedom in life and are willing to share their love for music, to be of inspiration.
Stay Connected
Join our Sounds for freedom email list