Healing through music & wellbeing

Just like our adult clients, many young North Korean people living in the UK have experienced trauma and mental health challenges. This creates day-to-day barriers to moving forward positively in their new lives, both at school and with friends.

Working with the community, we have designed our music wellbeing sessions to enable young North Korean people to address these problems. Teenage participants in the group meet weekly and receive music lessons from an expert member of the community who helps them engage with their mental health challenges in a safe environment.

Yeyoung, our talented music teacher, started learning classical guitar at a young age in North Korea. She escaped in her late teens and since, she’s been teaching in the UK and studying at the Guildhall School of Music. Yeyoung told us “I’m very aware of the role music plays in a young person’s life: building their confidence as well as an understanding of their emotions.”

Having an inspiring group leader from within the escapee community is crucial. It means the music sessions are uniquely placed to tackle the shared experiences of generational trauma North Korean young people feel, and which can prevent them from taking their full place in society later in life.

Under the guidance of Yeyoung, the students will be able to use music to build friendships, share experiences, and explore emotions, such as stress, anxiety, and anger. More than this, the music wellbeing project will tackle mental health stigma within the community which can prevent young people from asking for help when they need it.