Huddersfield Literature Festival is to have its own theme tune this year composed by a social enterprise which gives youngsters a chance to shine.

The festival’s theme for 2024 is nature and the tune will be composed and performed by musicians from Conscious Youth, a youth-led social enterprise in Kirklees which inspires and empowers young people aged 12-24 from the most marginalised communities where opportunity and investment is lacking. It has worked with more than 4,000 people across Kirklees since it was set up in 2016.

Conscious Youth has recently established a professional recording studio at The Corner Hub on Market Walk in Huddersfield town centre supported by the National Lottery funded charity Youth Music which believes that every young person should have the chance to change their life through music.

The theme tune is being created as part of Conscious Youth’s Elevation Music project, a 16-week programme for young people who would like to develop skills and knowledge in music production, artist development and the music business.

The eight young people involved are of black and multiple-heritage backgrounds and enjoy making music inspired by rhythm and blues, rap, pop and grime. All attend local schools or colleges.

When offered the chance to work with the festival, the youngsters decided to create a theme tune as it was something that has never been done before, as well as being an opportunity to get their sound and talent to audiences that might not normally listen to their styles of music.

The theme song they create will be put forward for the Original Track Award in the 2024 Youth Music Awards.

During the Festival, which runs in Huddersfield from April 11 to 28, Conscious Youth will also run a free Open Mic event called Conscious Hour Unplugged on Friday, April 19 in the HuddLitFest Tipi.

The Tipi is a new festival venue which will be open in the courtyard of the Lawrence Batley Theatre from April 17 to 28 in partnership with Huddersfield Live and sponsored by Huddersfield Town FC.

Serena Johnson, director of programmes at Conscious Youth, said: “This has been a creative way of empowering youth voices through music. It isn’t just about hitting the right notes, it’s about nurturing creativity, promoting inclusivity, fostering collaboration and amplifying voices that deserve to be heard.

“Through the creation of a theme song for the Huddersfield Literature Festival, young people not only showcase their talent but also cultivate leadership skills and build confidence.”

Michelle Hodgson, director of the Huddersfield Literature Festival, said: “At HuddLitFest, we work closely with local organisations and schools on a variety of innovative projects. It’s one of the most rewarding aspects of our work and ensures that Huddersfield is represented at the festival in all its rich diversity.

“We’re really excited to hear what these young musicians create for us and hope that it will encourage more young people to engage with the festival in the future.”

Huddersfield Literature Festival is an award-winning two-week festival held annually in the spring and its first one was in 2006.

It features more than 70 outdoor, venue-based and digital events in Huddersfield, championing accessibility, diversity and under-represented groups.

HuddLitFest24 will launch on April 11 with a performance from the Poet Laureate Simon Armitage and his band LYR.

Full details can be found at: https://www.huddlitfest.org.uk/

Written by ANDY HIRST who runs his own Yorkshire freelance journalism agency AH! PR (https://ah-pr.com/) specialising in press releases, blogging, website content and copywriting.

 

Charity volunteer Joan Gorton who has given her all for 50 years honoured with Freedom of Kirklees