Apple empowering Cork's diverse and creative talent

Two Cork organisations are reaping the benefits of being part of the Apple Empowering Creatives programme.

The programme is designed to provide young creatives from underrepresented communities with access to mentorship, training, and resources across various artistic disciplines.

The programme, which aims to nurture creativity, self-expression, and social change, is part of Apple’s broader efforts to support diverse talent and dismantle barriers to creative education.

At its core, the programme aims to provide valuable resources to help creatives maximise their use of Apple products and software through workshops, training sessions, and other educational resources.

Foster

Beyond skill development, the programme sets out to foster a community of creatives who can learn from and support each other.

In Cork, Apple is currently engaging with two local organisations through its Empowering Creatives programme – The Kabin Studio and Sauti Studios at the Cork Migrant Centre.

Sauti Studios, which was set up by the Cork Migrant Centre (CMC) Youth Initiative Against Racism in Nano Nagle Place, seeks to empower young individuals through music and spoken word to express their experiences and advocate for positive change.

‘Sauti’, which means ‘voice’ in Swahili, was chosen as the name for the initiative as it has a profound significance in African cultures, representing a person’s deepest thoughts, emotions and beliefs, explains youth coordinator Raphael Olympio.

“It doesn’t simply mean just ‘voice’, it’s more about a voice for the voiceless,” Mr Olympio said.

He said that the studio space came about last year when they found a space in the Haven Cafe which he said is still under renovation but has been “great” as it has meant being able to record the young people professionally.

“I think a lot of what our young people wanted was visibility. They felt ‘we’re doing the music, we’re doing the dancing, we’re doing the art and these different creative outlets but we want people to see us’. So, in order for us to do that we needed to bring it up a level and make it more professional by creating a package where people could look or listen and think ‘wow, I want to be like those young people or I want to listen to those young people’.”

Recognising the power of community as the driving force of the studios and how far it has come, he said: “It’s because of the community we have come so far. So many people have volunteered their time, given their expertise, facilitated workshops and have been so interested in helping and that has helped so much and I think collaboration is key.”

Support

Speaking about how the Apple Empowering Creatives programme has helped Sauti Studios to progress even further, Mr Olympio said: “Apple have been working with us to identify what our needs are and how they can support us more. So, over time we needed to boost our creativity and in order to do that we needed better equipment and we needed training and we needed more resources overall.”

He said that through the Empowering Creatives programme they were able to state exactly what equipment they needed which he said has given mentors a lot more confidence and has empowered them to do more with the young people.

“We were lacking resources and using a lot of our own equipment and it was difficult but we tried our best but now we’ve reached the stage where that barrier is no longer there and has been lifted,” he said.

“Our young people are going to sound 100 times better than before just because of the equipment so the output is going to be amazing from now on.

“We’ve also been trained to use Apple products and educate young people through different programmes. For example, I’m a musician so music is my forte but we did training on filmmaking, beat making, photography, and music, so, there were various different programmes that we were trained on so now we can pass on that knowledge to the young people.”

He said that by being chosen for the programme, the young people involved in Sauti Studios felt like they had been heard and acknowledged for the work they have done which he said has increased their confidence and made them feel more empowered.

Kabin Studio

The Kabin Studio is another vibrant music and creative hub that has been supported by the Apple programme in Cork.

Established by Garry McCarthy (GMCBeats) in 2012 in Knocknaheeny with the support of Music Generation Cork City, The Kabin has grown out of a love for hip hop, song writing, performance and creative expression.

The Kabin runs workshops, camps and projects in a safe, fun, non-judgemental space filled with instruments, music production and recording equipment and engages with people in the local community and from marginalised groups through workshops and outreach projects to promote positive mental health, creative expression, self-actualisation, active citizenship, and the progression to employment and/or further education.

“Getting all the new equipment and access to all the new apps has really benefited us in our workshops, even in our regular workshops, not just specifically focused on creative media and digital media.

“It means that all the kids have more access to writing lyrics, researching lyrics, beat-making apps and they’re always able to connect to a creative device because I guess we have an unwritten policy at The Kabin that if you’re in The Kabin, just make sure you’re creative whether you’re in there for an hour or two hours to use your time wisely to be creative and the iPads definitely allow that.”

Pilot summer camp

Mr McCarthy said The Kabin held a pilot summer camp led by tutors Alex Brady, Jacqie Rea, Sean Murphy and Mark Barry, as part of the programme where young people explored various different apps over the course of one week.

“We’re really excited that we are well supported technologically at The Kabin and it’s definitely already encouraged more young people to have their own space and time to throw a set of headphones on and produce beats and work on their own productions as opposed to sharing devices so it’s going to allow a lot more flexibility and creativity.”

Mr McCarthy said The Kabin crew have been busy performing at various festivals following their viral hit ‘The Spark’, taking to the stage at All Together Now and Electric Picnic.

Speaking about Apple’s work with both The Kabin and Sauti Studios, VP of European Operations at Apple Cathy Kearney said: “We believe in the power of creativity and technology to drive positive change, and we’re thrilled to see the impact our support is having in Cork. Our work with The Kabin Studio and Sauti Studios provides opportunities to talented and diverse young people in the community, and we’re proud to play a part in nurturing the next generation of creatives in Cork and beyond.”