The Song Crew

Proposal for Trailblazers Fund (1770 words)

1.    Tell us about your organisation?

Change in Nature CIC is a community interest company based in Cornwall that exists to support people to make positive change in their lives through creativity, connection and collaboration. We believe that people thrive when they are given the space to express themselves, build confidence and feel a genuine sense of belonging.

We design and deliver community programmes that sit at the intersection of creative arts, wellbeing and social resilience. Our portfolio includes songwriting courses, community singing workshops, nature-based arts projects and multi-year youth programmes. Across all of these, we work with people who face barriers (financial, geographical, social) to participation and who have often feel that creativity is not for them.

Our track record includes delivering large-scale community and youth projects such as the GROW Project, a six month programme for young people in Bristol which achieved significant outcomes around mental health, resilience and connection. Evaluation from GROW showed:

  • 100% felt more positive about their life after the programme.

  • 100% felt inspired and creative as a result of the programme.

  • 100% reported building a strong and supportive community.

  • 92% reported a stronger sense of meaning and purpose.

  • 83% felt empowered to create positive change in their communities.

  • 73% reported reduced anxiety.

Our Wild Songs programme (a songwriting project for young people and adults) generated similarly powerful feedback. Participants described it as life-changing: 'I feel I have gained the confidence to write songs and believe in my creative process.' and 'I feel making music for me has taken a next step. The support of experienced musicians was life-changing.'

We engage with young people so that they shape our programmes. We consult directly with young people at every stage, from initial design through to delivery. For the Song Crew, we have already spoken with young people in Cornwall about what inspires them, what stands in their way and what would make them genuinely want to show up. What they told us helped to shape this proposal.

  • "The seeds for a life changing experience."

  • "A great opportunity in finding your song in a safe, supportive and fun way."

  • "I felt I found my voice. Thank you for holding a safe space."

2. Who is the project for?

The Song Crew will work with 16 young people aged 18 to 25 in Cornwall, recruited each year across a two-year programme. These are young people who are passionate about music but who face significant barriers to accessing creative opportunities. Financial hardship, limited transport, geographic isolation and mental health challenges are all common experiences in our community.

Cornwall carries some of the highest levels of rural deprivation in the UK. Young people here are often separated from the cultural opportunities that are far more accessible in cities. Our conversations with local young people revealed a consistent picture: instability around employment, housing and finances; rising anxiety and eco-anxiety; and a deep sense that affordable, supportive creative spaces are, as one young person put it, are 'thin on the ground'.

We will actively recruit young people facing multiple and intersecting barriers, including those experiencing economic disadvantage or financial hardship, mental health challenges, including anxiety and social isolation and NEETs.

Our outreach will begin three months before each cohort, with a structured engagement phase. This will include: visiting youth clubs and community spaces in person to talk directly with young people; working with Band of Brothers and other local mental health charities to make warm referrals; linking with Falmouth University's AMATA performing arts centre; posting targeted content on social media; and holding a free, low-commitment online taster session; and creating a youth advisory board so that young people can shape the programme before it begins.

There will be an online application process which will be deliberately light-touch and accessible, supported by the option of video applications and a brief informal conversation with a member of the team for anyone who finds written applications difficult. We will assess applications against clear criteria including financial hardship, geographic remoteness and social need, and will prioritise those facing the most significant barriers.

We will provide financial support for travel (including train fares and taxis for participants from the most rural communities) and support lift-sharing so that geography is never the reason someone cannot take part.

Beyond the core cohort of 16, the programme will reach a wider group through a showpiece concert at the end of each year, co-created by participants and expected to attract an audience of at least 150 people. This concert is a central part of the programme's impact, giving young people a stage, audience and sense of what they can build together.

The facilitators

The Hub will be supported by professional adults including:

Martha Tilston

An internationally recognised songwriter, performer and filmmaker with a large following worldwide (www.marthatilston.co.uk). She has performed on some of the world’s most prestigious stages, released critically acclaimed albums and written and directed the feature film The Tape. As an associate lecturer at Falmouth University’s AMATA performance centre, Martha has taught songwriting, performance and the psychology of performance and writing. She has also delivered one-to-one songwriting mentoring, supporting students to explore creativity, process emotions and strengthen their wellbeing.

Andy Raingold

Andy is a Director of Change in Nature, resilience practitioner and creative facilitator with a track record of youth engagement.

Volunteers

Four volunteers, each of whom will receive two CPD training sessions as part of the programme, developing their own skills in facilitation and youth work alongside the participants.

The balance of adult support and youth ownership is critical: participants will be encouraged to take the lead, whether in writing songs, shaping the concert, designing artwork or promoting events.

3. Co-designing with young people facing barriers

We know from experience that young people engage more deeply, stay longer and get more from a programme when they feel genuine ownership over it. This project has already been shaped by conversations with young people in Cornwall and that process will continue throughout.

Before the programme launches, we will hold co-design sessions with interested young people to shape the structure, atmosphere and focus of the project. Young people will help establish group agreements, choose workshop themes and define the 'vibe' of the residentials.

Throughout delivery, we will create regular space for participants to feedback and redirect the project:

•        After each residential, participants will reflect on what is working and what they want more or less of, and we will respond to this in real time.

•        Concert planning will be entirely participant-led: the group will decide the venue, the setlist, how to promote the event.

•        Participants will help design the artwork and marketing for the project, giving them ownership of how the Song Crew presents itself to the world.

In Year Two, participants from the first cohort will be invited to take on roles in outreach, event design and peer mentorship, embedding a model of peer-led continuity that grows the project's reach and deepens its impact. This is not just good for the programme; it is valuable experience in leadership, communication and project ownership for the young people involved.

We recognise that for some young people, particularly those facing the most significant barriers, it can take time to find their voice in a group setting. Our residential format is especially important here: spending time together, eating together and creating together over several days builds the kind of trust that makes genuine co-design possible.

The Song Crew will give young people facing barriers experience in leadership, decision-making and project ownership - skills that are just as valuable as songwriting itself.

4. What will we do?

Hold a two-year songwriting programme for young people in Cornwall that combines residential immersion, skills development, mentorship and a co-created public concert. The name “Song Crew” captures the spirit of the project: a creative community, like the crew of a ship, navigating a shared creative journey, inspired by Cornwall’s maritime roots.

Year One will run from November 2026 to October 2027 and will include:

•        A four-day summer songwriting residential for 16 participants held near Looe (accessible by train), facilitated by Martha Tilston and Andrew Raingold. The residential will include 12 songwriting workshops, covering lyric writing, composition, collaboration and performance. Each participant will receive a one-to-one mentoring session with Martha which can be a significant opportunity for young people who have never had access to this level of support. Four volunteers will also take part, supported by two CPD training sessions.

•        A daytime Saturday gathering later in the summer held in Falmouth, bringing participants back together for three focused workshops that deepen the skills developed in the residential and build momentum towards the concert.

•        Three short online workshops.

•        A closing concert, also in Falmouth, co-created and co-produced by participants, with an expected audience of at least 150 people.

All costs of participation are covered for beneficiaries, including accommodation and meals during the residential, any materials or equipment needed for workshops, and travel (if needed).

The residential format is central to this project's ambition and it is what makes the Song Crew different. Living, eating, creating and laughing together over four days builds something that weekly sessions simply cannot: deep trust, genuine creative risk-taking and a sense of crew. Young people who arrive as strangers leave as collaborators. They are more willing to be vulnerable in their songwriting, more willing to support each other, and more willing to perform. For young people who are isolated, anxious or disconnected, this experience of genuine belonging can be transformative in itself.

Venues will be chosen for its accessibility by public transport and its capacity to accommodate participants from across Cornwall.

Year Two will follow the same structure, with the significant addition of peer involvement from Year One participants. Alumni will support outreach and recruitment, assist with event design and take on mentorship roles. This will create a living, growing community around the project rather than a one-off experience.

Outcomes and Impact

The Song Crew will create transformative opportunities for young people in Cornwall facing barriers, supporting confidence, creativity and community while addressing urgent needs around youth mental health, isolation and belonging.

Beneficiaries will:

•        Build confidence and resilience through performance, collaboration and creative risk. As one GROW participant put it: 'It has really restored, replenished and reset me'.

•        Strengthen mental health and wellbeing through songwriting as a tool for emotional expression. 'Songwriting gave me a way to process emotions I couldn't put into words'.

•        Develop transferable skills in communication, teamwork, marketing and leadership.

•        Deepen self-awareness and personal growth. 'It felt like a rite of passage into adulthood'.

•        Find community. 'I have never written a song before and now I have. It has been a life-changing experience'.

Evidence from our GROW and Wild Songs programmes shows consistently that creative programmes do not just change how young people feel about themselves but can change trajectories. Participants go on to further education, creative careers, leadership roles and new communities. One GROW participant summed it up: 'This programme came into my life at the perfect time and has given me so much richness in my community and my life. It is no understatement to say that it has changed my life.'

The Song Crew will offer that same possibility to young people in Cornwall.

As one GROW participant summed up: “It has changed my life”.