June 21st was established as Worldwide Music Day to acknowledge the importance of music and musicians. Music helps us get through the difficult times, and helps create the joyous times. Worldwide Music Day is about coming together and rejoicing in the joy of making or listening to music. For musicians its an opportunity to celebrate our artform, to take a step back from practicing and rehearsing, to appreciate the simple act of creating. For music fans, it’s a chance to say thank you to the musicians who bring us joy, comfort, solace, inspiration, or just an excuse to dance.

Before that however, June 20th marks a very different sort of acknowledgement. World Refugee Day stands as a reminder: 

Of the plight of people trying to find safety for themselves and their families;

Of the rights that refugees hold, but do not always get to practice;

Of the responsibility of all who are able to support those in need and to create welcome, safety, and shelter. 

The simple joy of playing or listening to music that many of us take for granted, can be an incredibly healing act for a refugee who has spent months trying to escape violence and conflict, whose day-to-day life is taken up with the stress of survival. The gap between these days may seem like a stark reminder about the work left to do in helping asylum seekers and refugees, but we see it as an opportunity to help close that gap. 

For 48 hours, across World Refugee Day and Worldwide Music Day, we are making a simple request: help us bring more music, to more refugees in the Netherlands by making a donation to our project.