New Zealand youth sing of justice and peace

WelCom July 2018: More than 120 students took part in Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand’s SINGout4JUSTICE song-writing competition this year, impressing the judges with their skills in composition and performance. The results…

WelCom July 2018:

SingOut4Justice Winners Y11‒13 section: Ngarangi Sadlier-Patmore (l) and Shanille Lat (r), Year 11s, Sacred Heart College, Lower Hutt.

More than 120 students took part in Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand’s SINGout4JUSTICE song-writing competition this year, impressing the judges with their skills in composition and performance. The results were announced in May.

The competition is divided into a junior (Yrs 7–10) and senior section (Yrs 11–13). Young people are encouraged to consider ways their songs can express justice and peace and to share concerns on issues important to them.

Yr 11 students, Shanille Lat and Ngarangi Sadlier-Patmore, Sacred Heart College, Lower Hutt, won the senior category for their song Questions; and Yr 10 student, Sophie Frame, Hillcrest High School, Hamilton, won the junior category with her song Tuhia Ki
to Rae.

This year’s Oscar Romero inspired theme ‘Love more. Be more’ motivated students to highlight the importance of ‘loving’ and ‘being’ over the material drives of ‘getting’ and ‘having’.

Ngarangi and Shanille drew from personal experiences, ‘Wondering if what you gave was ever enough to be accepted and loved.’

Each winner also receives $500 in prizes towards their musical development. The winning songs can be heard on the Caritas website (caritas.org.nz/singout4justice).