Songs & Lyrics Book Club at Deception Bay Library (10th Oct 4-6pm)

iPads with internet for Youtube

Pens and paper

Bluetooth speaker

Apple Music or Spotify account

Lead a discussion group of young people, talking about life events that fit within the spectrum of the One Last Apocalypse theme. For example: change, renewal, rebirth etc…..events that had an impact on them. Have the participants select songs that relate. From these songs create an Apocalyptic Playlist.

This playlist will form the backbone of all future project events as music really activates the space, and the youth feel a sense of ownership as it is the playlist that they created.

Use an Apple Music or a Spotify account to add the songs and create a playlist. Have the activity in a central and easily accessible area as this activity generates a lot of interest from other library users, I recommend holding this event early on as it will draw in more interest in the project as a whole and you will gain participants through this for future sessions.

Some life events that came up in our discussions were: change in schools, change of social groups, the birth of a baby in the family, death of a beloved family member, a new pet etc. Discuss how they felt at those times and assist them in selecting songs that hold a relatable significance of that event for them. Talk about why and what the song means or how it helped.

This activity has a wonderful bonding and mentoring element to it and really solidified the group in the sharing of these stories. It seemed to be very cathartic, and the group discussions were very engaging and participation was from everyone. They all wanted a copy of the playlist so it is a good idea to share it amongst the group.

We have a group of 5. Good size group. Too large and the conversation about the music could get lost and the music would have to be played louder which might not suit the library space

After this session it is clear that deception bay will now run weekly book clubs for 10-15 year olds. They are talking to management about it being under a book club banner.

They have seen real outcomes- new pathways to engage with a demographic that they have previously struggled with. They feel strongly that this should be shared with and accessed by other regions who struggle with this demographic.

The group last night felt safe to talk about big stuff. There was a mix of Indigenous, Caucasian, vulnerable kids, a child who has emigrated from Peru and children who come from double incomes. There was a realisation that they all had the same issues.

After a successful 3 week book club program we will continue to roll out another month now.

Individual responses to the task of creating an Apocalypse playlist were captured for future reference: