10 August 2015

Albany Primary School is Jumping 4 StarJam!

On Friday the 14th of August over 20,000 school children across New Zealand will Jump Jam for charity StarJam. Albany Primary School on the North Shore of Auckland will be one of these schools.

More than 70 Schools have signed up for Jump Jam 4 StarJam 2015. Each school will hold a Jump Jam session in support of StarJam and participating students are encouraged to bring along a $2 donation. All funds raised will help to empower young New Zealander’s living with disabilities through music and performance workshops.

StarJam has been working with young people with disabilities (Jammers) since 2002. It currently has over 350 young people with disabilities participating in musical workshops (singing, dancing, drumming and guitar) in Auckland, Christchurch, Wellington and Hamilton each week.

“The amazing response to our inaugural Jump Jam 4 StarJam last year proved to us that the schools of New Zealand are passionate and committed to teaching their students about respect and acceptance of diversity. Children are very open to the concept of different abilities rather than disabilities and as our young people learn this from an early age we can create a world where all people are treated with respect,” says Mary Ansell, CEO - StarJam.

Albany Primary School is supporting young people with disabilities by taking part in Jump Jam 4 StarJam. Ashleigh Jarrett, a teacher from Albany Primary School, is firmly behind the campaign. “We thought that this would be a great cause for the Jump Jam Leaders to get behind, as it meant that they could plan and implement a school-wide event. The idea of receiving a bracelet was attractive to the leaders. Donating towards empowering performance opportunities for young people with disabilities, while participating in exercise for fun and fitness was an additional bonus.”

StarJam’s CEO, Mary Ansell, will be attending Albany Primary School’s Jump Jam 4 StarJam event and there will be a special performance by former Albany Primary pupil and StarJam Jammer Emma Cooper-Williams at the school on the day. Emma Cooper-Williams won the Play It Strange Auckland Region Peace Song Award 2014 and adores singing, “I love music and singing because it can express so many ideas in a single line, something that can relate to everyone. One of my dreams is to mentor young musicians and songwriters, to help them to see their purpose in the music that they create, making our society accepting and appreciative of all diversities.”

Funds raised from Jump Jam 4 StarJam will go towards giving more young people with disabilities the opportunity to participate in workshops. Schools and students participating in Jump Jam 4 StarJam have the opportunity to win prizes from Direct Import New Zealand such as Teac DVD Micro System and Teac Bluetooth Tower Speaker. Prizes have been offered as a chance to thank the schools for their support and also to encourage the students to talk, write or video what they have learned.

“Jump Jam 4 StarJam is a fun and interactive way to introduce students to the range of disabilities as well as some of the issues young people with a disability face. At the same time the students are helping to raise funds to help StarJam open more workshops nationwide and expand their programmes to empower more young people with disabilities to reach or exceed their potential through their weekly music and performance workshops.”

“A number of schools have told us that they have seen the positive impacts that StarJam has had on the lives of their students who attend, especially around growth in their confidence which impacts on their schools work, ability to make friends and gain respect with many going on to achieve things that may have been overwhelming prior to StarJam,” says Mary Ansell.

ENDS

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