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It’s the International Day of People with Disability, and music charity StarJam is holding an appeal to raise funds to expand its work.
Chief executive Mary Ansell says one in five New Zealanders live with a disability which means 150,000 young people face considerable barriers to inclusion in their lives.
StarJam holds weekly music workshops for young people aged from 6 to 25, using a paid tutor and a couple of volunteers at each workshop.
"Through those workshops which are driven mainly by the jammers we find that our young people gain respect, friendships, self belief, confidence and they go on to do some amazing things with their lives. They become drivers of their own lives rather than passengers in their lives. We invest in their lives through empowerment,' she says.
Mary Ansell says street collectors have been out today, and people can also find out about the kaupapa through the starjam.org website.
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