The Buzz Project Report: 1[st] December 2024 – 30[th] November 2025 ## **Activities** It was an extremely busy year for the project. We held a number of music events, from musical showcases with UHI to hosting local artist Little Win at the studio, where they performed and spoke to the young people about their career in music. We ran our “Say Something Saturday” project, where young people were encouraged to create a presentation on a topic of their choice. This supported their public speaking and research skills and also gave us an opportunity to learn more about their interests. We also held workshops with Music Broth, where young people experienced taster sessions in songwriting, audio engineering, drumming, bass and guitar, and more. These sessions encouraged curiosity, helped young people try new things they may not otherwise have attempted, and allowed them to develop new skills. ## **Achievements** We continued to build on the success of previous years. The project was attended by an average of 20 young people per session, with the majority still being male. We saw an increase in the number of young people identifying as LGBT+, who told us that the project was one of the only places where they felt able to be their true, authentic selves. Ensuring that all young people have access to a safe and welcoming space has always been a key feature of the project. We have also continued to support young people to access further and higher education opportunities. This year, we supported a number of young people in applying to UHI for courses in the creative industries. We also saw some of our young people leave the area to pursue higher education opportunities, building on the progress they had made in previous years. Also, this year, we had 6 young people join our board of directors as trustees, having a real say and impact on the development of the project. This has allowed us to be a truly youth-led organisation and has allowed young people to develop skills in leadership, budgeting, planning and development. ## **Drop in sessions and Studio 2** The drop-in sessions remained well attended. The main purpose of these sessions is to provide a warm and safe space for young people to socialise with their peers outside of an educational setting. Young people told us that they only interacted with their friends in school and, for those who had left education, there were very few opportunities to meet with friends socially. Having the project as that space helped to reduce isolation and lower anxiety. One of the biggest challenges we faced this year was the loss of our High Street premises. The Buzz Project was required to vacate Studio 2 and relocate activities to the smaller Studio 1 space. This represented a substantial challenge for both the organisation and the young people accessing our services. Despite this disruption, the charity _**The Buzz Project is a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation SC043565 www.thebuzzproject.org**_ remained committed to ensuring that young people continued to have access to support, creative opportunities, and a safe place to meet. Staff, volunteers, and young people worked together through this transition, adapting to suit the new environment. While operating in a reduced space presented limitation, Studio 1 continued to host regular drop-in sessions, music activities, workshops, and informal support. The relocation demonstrated the resilience of both the young people and the organisation. ## **Workshops and learning** As in previous years, a number of workshops and activities were run for the group: Sound production – With the relocation to Studio 1, we were able to focus on developing the recording studio. Drawing on the skills of staff and of the young people attending UHI music courses, we worked together to establish a functioning recording studio and support young people to begin experimenting with it. Music Broth – We received support from Music Broth to provide a number of taster sessions for the group, allowing them to explore new creative skills and learn something new. These sessions are always popular, and this year we saw a larger number of young people engage with them compared with previous years. Music Events – We held a number of music events. Continuing our partnership with UHI, we hosted showcase events for their NC, HNC, and HND music students. This included a separate night for the DJ students, and an album launch for one of the students. We also welcomed local artist Little Win to perform at the studio. They also took time to speak with the young people about their career in the music industry and their creative process. Karaoke sessions – Karaoke sessions remained very popular, and we were able to continue them after moving to the new building. Song writing sessions – These sessions were introduced at the request of young people who were starting at UHI and beginning their artistic journey. They wanted support with songwriting, and this is something we were able to provide in-house. This gave young people new ways to express themselves. Open Mic nights – After losing the High Street premises, we were no longer able to provide our own open mic nights in the same way. However, local community open mic nights continued, and we _**The Buzz Project is a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation SC043565 www.thebuzzproject.org**_ were able to bring young people along to these events to connect them with the local music scene and help them develop their confidence and public performance skills. ## **Financial review** We received funding from The Robertson Trust, Awards for all, HTSI mental health fund, UK Youth and Mental health and wellbeing fund. Our total income for this reporting period was £45690.05 and our total expenditure was £56766.63. This resulted in a deficit of £11076.58. The challenges of the year teamed with some of our usual funders going through restructure resulted in this deficit and we will be working hard in to the next year to ensure a more financially secure position. ## **Reserves Policy** As stated, there is no requirement in the constitution to hold reserves. However, the trustees recognise that it is advisable to retain three months of normal running costs in order to meet commitments and cover any unexpected expenditure. ## **Plans for the future** Funding will remain a top priority in order to ensure the continued sustainability of the project. We will continue to seek new funding sources and to work with our existing partners. We plan to expand the recording studio element of the project by supporting young people who want to record locally and giving them the opportunity to do so. We also plan to support young people who are interested in learning audio engineering and sound production skills by providing access to these opportunities locally, without them having to leave the area. We plan to develop an outside seating area at Studio 1 for young people to enjoy in the drier days. ## **Exemptions from disclosure** There are no exemptions from disclosure. ## **Funds held as custodian trustee on behalf of others** There are no funds held as custodian trustee on behalf of others. _**The Buzz Project is a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation SC043565 www.thebuzzproject.org**_