ALUMNI: Karien de Waal (2020)
VENTURE: Join Bands, Not Gangs
Karien de Waal has transitioned out of Join Bands, Not Gangs
Join Bands, Not Gangs is no longer operational
JOIN BANDS, NOT GANGS
DURBANVILLE, SOUTH AFRICA
JOIN BANDS, NOT GANGS is a registered non-profit company that equips and trains youth in at-risk communities in music, as a way to help them avert the trap of drugs and gangsterism. Along with classes aimed at prevention, they also work directly with rival street gangs in an effort to facilitate peace between them, using music as the common denominator. Their vision is to give away 1 million musical instruments to 1 million future musicians, starting programmes in every town in the Western Cape and beyond. The ultimate goal is to be a peacemaking force, replacing gangs with bands.
KARIEN DE WAAL
2020 FELLOW
FOUNDER | JOIN BANDS NOT GANGS
Karien is an enthusiastic, all-round creative with a passion for helping the next generation develop their God-given talents of music. After studying Marketing, she switched lanes to pursue her dream of becoming a composer, which saw her accepted into Berklee College of Music in Boston, USA. Four years later, she returned to Cape Town with a seed deep in her heart to make a difference. After freelancing in the music industry for a season, she founded JOIN BANDS, NOT GANGS in 2018 as a way to bring peace to gang-ridden communities through music.