StronG song For Valentine’s
Love and community are the themes of a new song released by young asylum seekers in Kent for Valentine’s Day.
The girls, aged 16 and 17, arrived in the UK as unaccompanied asylum seeker children (UASC). They attend a club run by Kent Refugee Action Network (KRAN) and - with Margate singer-songwriter Claire Holmes - wrote Love is Community.
The charity’s New Project Developer Lou Roberts explains: “I started the Young Women’s Circle in March 2024 with the aim to build trust and deepen bonds, explore our imagination and creativity, learn how we best support each other and most importantly, share happy memories and play.
“The girls are a mix of nationalities and languages and it is important that we build the trust and bonds between them as sometimes newly-arrived young people can become isolated. This means they withdraw, their mental health suffers and this impacts all the other aspects of their life. Just like everyone, when we feel we belong, support others and are supported, we have more freedom to follow interests, learn and build a wider community.”
Claire says the goal of the project was to support the girls to connect with one another through music, as well as to share their message with the world.
“It can be very isolating being in a new country with no family or connections, so the aim was to use music for building those vital friendship connections, as well as a chance to tell their story.
“We wanted the girls to write about what felt important to them and when we asked, the answer came back loud and clear: peace, love and happiness. I think it says a lot about the girls that despite the hardships they have faced, they still have so much positivity to give.”
The song was written across a number of sessions, with discussions about what the words meant to the girls before they used their own experiences to write lyrics.
Claire says: “We then created a ‘call and response’ chorus so it could be sung in a group. Finally, we brought the song together in a recording that centred around their voices speaking their words aloud. It felt important to have their voices at the forefront of the track and I think the joy and laughter is infectious.
“The girls then chose the name Jegna Jegna Girls for the group: Jegna is the Amharic (Ethiopian/ Eritrean) word for ‘strong’. The final message of ‘love is community’ feels like such a relevant and beautiful one to share this Valentine’s Day.”
Lou adds: “Friendship and building community is at the heart of the group. This is so important, especially at a time where people are flying flags, spreading misinformation and scapegoating refugees. If this is where the Jegna Jegna Girls start their journey and understanding of friendship in the UK, it creates a strong base going forward.
Love is Community is available here.
The project was supported by Youth Music and using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England.
Claire Holmes is a singer, songwriter and facilitator based in Margate. @claireholmesmusic
Youth Music is a national charity that helps marginalised young people to make and monetise music. Every year, the charity raises £10 million to fund inspirational grassroots music projects and support aspiring young creatives up and down the UK. They campaign to break down barriers for young people facing inequity, exclusion and discrimination, helping the next generation to transform their lives through music.