From a singing workshop attended by around 60 young people to original recordings and the first student-led podcasts, it’s been a busy week of learning and creativity at the Girls’ Empowerment Centre in Nepal.

There’s been no shortage of music, laughter and new experiences for our Get Equipped team this week.

While work has continued on the new recording facilities, our volunteers have been getting straight into what matters most: sharing skills and creating opportunities for young people to get involved.

And what a response they’ve had!

From 60 voices to one original song

Our wonderful volunteer Jane arrived in Nepal with years of experience as a musician, pianist and vocal coach, and she’s certainly been putting those skills to good use.

Her first singing workshop attracted around 60 young people, creating an opportunity for everyone to join in, have a go and explore their voices. From that initial session, a smaller group of particularly enthusiastic students emerged, keen to take their learning further.

Over the following days, Jane worked more closely with the group, exploring vocal techniques, range, songwriting, confidence and creative expression. The sessions developed into something rather special.

The students began writing lyrics for an original awareness-raising song, exploring how music can communicate ideas and messages that matter to them. And by the end of the week, they’d recorded their vocals in the new studio!

One of the students also contributed spoken-word poetry, bringing another creative element to the track.

Jane has been working on the vocal recordings, with Lex helping bring the final production together.

We’re really looking forward to sharing the finished result.

Nine young people. Three podcast ideas. Two recordings.

Meanwhile, Lex has been introducing another group of students to the world of podcasting.

Nine young people took part in his first practical workshop, exploring how podcasts work, what makes an interesting interview and why asking good questions matters.

Working in three groups, they came up with their own podcast concepts, developed interview questions and began putting their ideas into practice.

By the end of the session, two groups had recorded their first five-minute podcast episodes using professional Shure microphones and RØDE recording equipment.

Not bad for a first workshop!

Lex was particularly impressed by the students’ willingness to get involved, even when some were initially a little nervous.

For several participants, English was not their first language, but that didn’t stop them from working together, asking questions and giving it a go.

In fact, the only thing that brought the session to an end was time!

Creating opportunities that last

One of the most encouraging parts of the week has been seeing young people respond to different forms of creativity.

Some have been drawn to singing and songwriting, while others have shown real enthusiasm for interviewing, recording and storytelling.

That’s exactly why creating access to a range of creative opportunities matters.

Not everyone will want to become a musician, producer or podcaster. But having the chance to explore those possibilities, learn something new and discover an interest is valuable in itself.

Our hope is that the skills introduced this week will continue to develop, with interested young people eventually able to share what they’ve learned with others.

A huge thank you to Jane and Lex for sharing their experience so generously, and to our Nepalese partners for helping make these workshops possible.

And, of course, the biggest shout-out goes to the young people who’ve thrown themselves into the sessions with such enthusiasm.

New skills. New experiences. New creative possibilities. That’s Get Equipped in action. ❤️