KFM 106.9 (powered by Te Karanga Charitable Trust) have teamed up with Auckland Council and Youth Arts NZ to create an internship program with the Auckland Music in Parks team.
The internship will climax at the 2021 CultureFest with a stage put together and managed entirely by the team of six interns aged 17-22. The interns are enjoying their experience.
“The midway self-assessment indicates that they’re enjoying the internship so far and learning a lot. The Music In Parks team are awesome and have put together a great hands on experience," says William Mark-Brown, Manager, Te Karanga Trust & KFM.
Even through the lockdowns and cancelled events, zoom sessions have kept the ball rolling along nicely. This is a pilot program, and we have a plan B lined up if lockdowns prevent the bigger events as planned. I am confident that the intended outcomes will be achieved regardless of alert levels.” says William Mark-Brown, Manager, Te Karanga Trust & KFM.
“We have had to modify parts of the program as we go, for example, we added more mentoring time to ensure participants have the support they need, to make the most out of the program’ he adds.
Te Karanga Trust runs mentoring programmes to empower local youth at the Wesley Community Center and is a strategic partner with Puketāpapa Local Board.
While shying away from the spotlight, some of the comments in the self-assessment include the interns saying,
"It’s cool and chill. Love the environment as well as the practical work that we do to ensure the success of every event. Love the team too."
Another reports, “I'm really enjoying myself and learning a lot of new skills. I enjoy that it’s hands-on and learn-as-you-go."
This is not the first time the young creatives and musicians mentored through Te Karanga Trust programs have wowed with their skills.
Elijah Manu and Albert Purcell – better known as hip hop duo ‘Church & AP’ - dominated the 2020 Aotearoa Music awards and won two awards, (Best Hip-Hop artist & Best Pacific Album) plus took out the 2020 Pacific Music awards where they won 4 (Best Pacific Group, and Best Pacific Hip Hop Artist, for their debut album Teeth, as well as the Radio Airplay Award for their single ‘Ready or Not’.
The pair’s producer Dera Meelan took out Best Producer for his work on Teeth.) The pair met on the Trusts ‘Navigators’ Program in the Puketāpapa Creative Lab in 2018. Now Elijah has returned as a facilitator and mentor for the next generation of talent coming through the program.
“We’re very proud of all those in the programmes at Te Karanga. It’s great to be able to support the organisation and these young people by making more avenues available to them locally to take their skills to the next level,” says Puketāpapa Local Board Chair Julie Fairey,” says Puketāpapa Local Board Chair Julie Fairey.
The World of Cultures festival will take place in Auckland across 10 days and will culminate at the Mt Roskill War Memorial Park on 28 March.
Aucklanders will be able to enjoy a total of 160 cultures taking part to truly bring the world to our doorstep.
There are ways to get to the festival easily on public transport.
- Take the nearby number 25L or 25B bus
- Use your bike to get there if you live locally and avoid traffic. The local board has worked with Auckland Transport to make sure walking tracks are safe and accessible.
- If the weather is friendly, you can consider walking to the park.
Chair Fairey is also reminding people that the local board members will have a presence at the festival so look for their stall and be sure to drop in to say hello.
