Intermediate and high school students are excited about the upcoming release of a video music production they made featuring scenes from the community and a taste of Ditidaht language.
Let Us Not Worry was created in the Ditidaht community in mid-October when N’we Jinan, a music production company co-founded by David Hodges, arrived to work with the students.
N’we Jinan is a non-profit organization that brings a mobile recording studio into schools and community centres across North America. The program offers youth the chance to create an original song and music video that explores relevant issues and topics while promoting positive messaging, community engagement and a collective voice.
Both Hodges and his videographer assistant Andrei Savu spent time at Nitinaht Lake working with the youth, first to develop a theme and lyrics for the song. According to Ditidaht Community School student Josie Thompson, the students were asked to brainstorm ideas about the challenges and hopes they experience in their community. They quickly came up with the song title, ‘Let us not Worry’. “The song sings about the concerns students have for their lives in Nitinaht and the hopes they have for their futures,” she wrote.
After the brainstorm session, the video was shot the following day with scenes from around the community and students singing the lyrics they made.
The video will be aired at a special event at the Alberni District Secondary School auditorium on Thursday, Dec. 7 at 7 p.m. The evening will feature student performances and a special announcement from the Ditidaht Language and Culture department.
