Voices of the Future

Words by Layla Blackwell & Photos by Caroline Finn

From the moment you pass through the doors in Kilpatrick School, you know you are somewhere different.

The excitement here is contagious as you are greeted with enthusiasm from every member of staff and student.

The corridors are full of colourful celebrations of the students’ many achievements.

There is a sense of pride, confidence and hope here that I have rarely experienced.

The staff are focused on helping every student achieve their full potential.

Through their Developing Young Workforce Initiative, they do everything possible to help the students prepare for the future and become a welcome part of the local community.

This is despite the challenges they may face as an individual. Kilpatrick School is a shining beacon highlighting the power of inclusion.

And Kilpatrick School Radio is a great example of seeing the hidden potential which others don’t - their recording space,
once a storage cupboard is now a fully functional recording studio.

They have been doing shows since 2019 and have over 258 tracks recorded.

Nerves were mixed with excitement that Friday morning, as we sat in on the weekly planning session to get a sense of the show’s production process and atmosphere.

Group members are encouraged to use their interests to create content for the station. From gaming, cooking, music, to news broadcasts, their station covers a wide variety of topics.

The students learn valuable skills like planning, working to deadlines and working as part of a team. They also learn how to use the equipment necessary to record their own projects.

When asked what his favourite thing about the radio station is, recording master and technical expert Kieran, replied
enthusiastically: “Everything!”

The confidence gained by the students through this experience is clear. They learn from an early age to use their voices and express their opinions.

Seeing the focus on engagement and how successful that is, is a lovely thing to experience.

In Kilpatrick School differences are celebrated, encouraged, and used as a strength by staff members. Giving the students
the vital sense of self to succeed later in life.

The recording studio itself gives students access to equipment and space to let their creativity flow.

The school’s prominent guitar player Jack told us that having access to the recording studio allows him to keep teaching
himself the skills needed to work on his own music.

And in addition to answering our questions, the radio team also turned the table on us and gave me my first experience of being interviewed for radio.

I was a little nervous, but the team quickly put us at ease with their friendly and enthusiastic attitudes to both their work and each other.

It’s impossible not to enjoy your time at Kilpatrick School, there’s a real sense of camaraderie

Our host, Nicole, told us about her role on the radio show. “I was a wee bit nervous as this is my first interview.

“I like the phone calls because it gives you more confidence in talking to people and over these past few months, I feel I have grown in confidence doing it.”

And she had nothing but praise for her teachers and classmates:

“All the young people in this school are fabulous.

“The school is amazing! I couldn’t thank the school enough for what they’ve done for us. Without the school I don’t know where I’d be right now, we all love it here.”

And we can’t thank the team enough for sharing their experience with us. We really enjoyed our time with you.

Later we spoke to music teacher Andy Rimar about the challenges of running the radio station and his hopes for the future.

He spoke about how using the skills they build with the students gives them the keys to succeed in the community.

And added: “The next step for us is trying to regain and seek out new professional links for our pupils to then learn from and possibly gain new workplace opportunities.”

Everything the staff do at Kilpatrick School, the time and effort spent, is with an eye to the future.

It’s an attempt to make the journey into adulthood that little bit easier so the students can look forward to being happy,
healthy and successful in life.

Whatever the challenges they face, the student will find their way.

Empowered with the feeling of acceptance, understanding and faith in their own abilities these students will no doubt achieve great things and become valuable members of society.

Kilpatrick School is truly inspiring and has rekindled my beliefs and hopes that I might be able to learn from their bravery.

I want to help teach the lesson that everyone is unique and has something to offer with the right support; to be part of the voices of the future and make a better future for everyone.

Check out the Kilpatrick Radio Station here: https://soundcloud.com/kilpatrickradio

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