The first ever Sticks ‘n’ Stones Festival will take place on Saturday 13 July, a brand new, free event for young people in the towns.
Held on the Belvedere Lawn at historic Fort Amherst, the festival will combine live music, performances, workshops, stalls and drop-in support and advice on physical and mental wellbeing, and employment, for young people aged 11-21.
The Paramount Foundation CIC has teamed up with local charities and organisations, aiming to give young people an opportunity to discover new ways of dealing with issues such as mental health, sexuality, gang culture, careers advice etc. It is also a space where positive role models, such as RBLI, MY Trust and Kent Fire and Rescue, can advise, demonstrate and recruit.
In addition to onsite resources to help deal with issues around mental health, sexuality, gang culture and careers advice, organisers of the festival have lined up live music, stalls and workshops for what promises to be a positive afternoon.
Paramount Foundation Manager, Matt Salisbury, said: “In contrast to our fast-paced tech-driven society, we wanted to create a space to reconnect young people with their surroundings. It could be that they need advice on a personal issue or just want to get involved with something positive and different, like a boxing workshop or a play.
“It’s far too easy to neglect yourself and people often don’t realise the impact of lots of small, negative instances but it does add up. We want young people to come to Sticks ‘n’ Stones and take charge of their well-being.”
The Sticks ‘n’ Stones Festival starts at 11am and continues until 6pm, with performances throughout the day. Events taking place will include street soccer, creative work shops, meditation and singing. RBLI will be on hand to deliver employment services and advice, and there will also be a DJ and music workshop, as well as an anonymous Q&A session.
Matt continued: “Our aim is for a lot of the content on the day to be inspired and devised by young people. We have assembled a wide range of charities and organisations to make this a useful and helpful event. As well as onsite support, there will be opportunities to have one to one sessions and get referrals to wider organisations.
“This is a festival without stigma, and we are relying on the community coming together to provide young people in the local area the opportunity to improve their wellbeing and get connected to nature and with each other.”
There will be locally-sourced snacks and refreshments on offer throughout the day. For more information visit www.theparamountfoundation.org.