positivity during hardship and uncertainty

the twenty five years of seeding, watering, weeding, raking, watering, deadheading, playing gentle choral music, whispering, watering and watering of SIN Cru to arrive at today has always been a team effort.  SIN Cru stands for Strength In Numbers, we are a product of Hip Hop culture, and as per, have our roots firmly earthed in the community, with family values and sensibilities.  Over the years SIN Cru has been proud and humbled by the sense of familial support, especially that of the JNR Sinstars and their peoples.  Our blog today comes from JNR Sinstar, Able-C’s mum, as she wrote, ‘to be put in the drawer for later…  hoping it may be helpful’

I wanted to write to say what a fantastic 25th anniversary celebration SIN Cru created.  The Urban SINfonie festival was incredibly well done, and I would have expected nothing less from SIN Cru.  There was a smorgasbord of livestream workshops, music, dance battles, and a large number of examples of friendship, respect for one another no matter who you are and where you come from, highlighting the positive strength of the Hip Hop community.

The whole family could get involved in one or more of the livestreams.  My son especially enjoyed creating his submission for the Hip Hop Karaoke and all of us loved watching the archive footage of the crew from the past.  The life experiences shared in the panel discussions were incredible.  The careful curating and choice of panel participants allowed us to see first hand the remarkable contribution, passion, and energy that all SIN Cru members have given over the years.  Archive footage revealed the many young people who have been nurtured and encouraged to find their inner strength and confidence, making a huge impact on positive life direction.  So many of the SIN Cru students have gone on to work in the dance or music industry, or vocations where they have transferred SIN Cru values of inner strength, leadership, resilience, physical and mental wellbeing, and kindness towards others.

The livestreams made it evident how positive and strong role modelling can be when combining children and young people, many from very challenging home backgrounds, with hip hop dance and music.  The sense of community and an acceptance for who you are, combined with the quality role models from SIN Cru and older dance peers, are a powerful recipe to support students in reaching their full potential.

At this time of uncertainty, and the severed ability for young people in our community to access their usual activities and social groups, Urban SINfonie was an important event, particularly for the young, allowing them to see people they admire and look up to, all smiling, joking, exercising, imparting ideas of wellbeing, maintaining a positive mindset and practising important good life habits through Hip Hop culture.

Through the livestream discussions between many of the founders of SIN Cru and those people who have spanned decades in the Hip Hop scene, the children and young people could see first hand, adults maintaining long term friendships from around the world, built on a deep respect and a shared passion for Hip Hop culture.

I wanted to express my hope that there will be scope for SIN Cru to continue to provide similar sessions on a regular basis, so that the younger members of our community have a chance for a positive focus which is crucial for mental and physical wellbeing, particularly at this time of widespread hardship and uncertainty.