THE LIFELINES PROJECT

What we do

Kiran and Martin are artists and youth workers with many years experience
individually. They decided to combine their talents in the Rootz Lifeline project
while working in youth prisons in the Netherlands. They share the belief that
creativity can be a tool for change for all marginalised youth. Their unique way of
merging music, poetry and visual arts resonated well with the workshop
participants so they decided to develop the concept further by working not only
with incarcerated young people, thus the Life Lines project was born. Life lines is
based on the idea that people have their own unique stories that consist of
struggle, triumph, gains and losses, stories that are rich with insights and
valuable lessons. Through a series of unique workshops participants engage in a
storytelling process, uncovering key experiences in their lives that will be
expressed through visual arts, music and spoken word/rap. The workshop ends
with the completion of one unified collaborative creation.

Why we do it

Hip Hop is a great tool to connect with young people all around the world
it consists of 5 elements; MC, DJ, Graffiti, Breakdance and knowledge. These days
the knowledge element of hip-hop is almost non-existent but we believe that it is
essential, as it gives meaning to the creative expression. Therefore we place a
strong emphasis on knowledge in our workshops, starting with knowledge of
self. Through self-knowledge and the sharing of personal stories we show how
people are connected to one and other, how we can all learn from each other’s
life experiences. We have found that young people can take newfound pride in
who they are, giving them the self confidence to make positive changes in their
lives and communities. Creativity can provide people with a sense of purpose
and be a bridge between different cultural backgrounds and it can introduce
people to new perspectives and ideas.
Our experience has shown us that our projects can be hugely effective as a way
to deal with the various problems that young people face. It can be useful as a
preventative measure for young people who may be going in a negative direction
and we have seen how it can turn lives around that may have seemed hopeless
due to drugs, violence, gang membership etc.

Our Vision

Our vision is to plant the seed of creativity within the context of youth work in as
many places around the world as is possible. We are seeking to collaborate with
community based organizations that work with young people from a grassroots
level that are open minded to the idea of using creativity as a tool for personal
change and growth. We are experienced in working with youth in the context of
prevention, incarceration and post release.

Who we are

Kiran Shriemisier (28 years) is a Surinamese/Dutch music producer, trainer

and storyteller with a background in Psychology. In his youth rapping was a tool
to reflect and to express himself, It helped him to transpire and transform into
the person he is today. Through the lens of hip hop Kiran delivers music
producing and storytelling workshops with Young in Prison. For Young in Prison,
Kiran has travelled to South-Africa, Portugal, Greece and Afghanistan, delivering
training and workshops for and with youth in conflict with the law. He also is a
trainer and facilitator at Young Happy Minds, an organization that seeks to
increase wellbeing for young people through the lens of positive psychology.
Kiran has a degree in interactive design, a bachelor Applied Psychology (BSc)
and a Master Social Psychology (MSc).

Martin Travers (45 years) From the UK is an international muralist and

professional visual artist with a background in graffiti/street art and mural
painting. He travels the world painting murals and working on community arts
projects. His goal is to work towards building positive creative alternatives for
“at risk” youth and he frequently uses hip hop as a means to that end. Martin has
been giving workshops on youth empowerment through the arts for more than
10 years. He spent more than two years as a workshop facilitator in juvenile
prisons around the Netherlands and in South Africa for the organization Young in
Prison. He is the co-founder of Kala Sikchya Initiative, a project that aims to bring
art permanently on to the curriculum of low-income schools in Nepal. He has
also been a guest lecturer and workshop facilitator at the Kathmandu University
Arts Department in Nepal. He is certified in “Youth Arts” through the National
University of Ireland, Maynooth, Dublin.