What is the Grants For Good program?
BABY Audio’s Grants For Good Program offers free plugin licenses to aspiring music-makers in underserved communities. To make sure our Grants For Good licenses are distributed to the right recipients, we rely on some amazing organizations and individuals who have dedicated their lives to helping their communities prosper through the power of music. We’re very grateful for the work they do and proud to be able to make a small contribution to their mission.
Lane 25 was founded by Shivani Karan. Early in her career as a lecturer at Auckland University of Technology, she noticed that underserved communities were being left behind, particularly in access to technology and innovation. This led her to start an organization to provide opportunities and education in digital technology for youth in underserved communities.
You can learn more about Shivani’s story in our interview below.
Lane 25 is one out of a handful of organizations we’ve sponsored in 2021. But we’re looking to expand our Grants For Good program in 2022. So if you have any suggestions or wish to apply for a grant for your organization, please reach out to support@babyaud.io and put “Grants For Good” in the subject line.
Shivani Karan Interview
Tell us a little bit about yourself and what compelled you to start your work with Lane25.
My name is Shivani Karan and I am the founder of Lane25. I was born in Fiji and raised in New Zealand. My personal journey has been to find purposeful outlets for creative energy. Early in my career as a lecturer at Auckland University of Technology, I noticed that under-served communities were being left behind, particularly in technology and innovation. Unfortunately, this is because of a lack of equal access to digital technologies. I believe that everyone has a voice that matters and it is also important that we get innovation from those with different perspectives regardless of their capability with digital technology. I was compelled to start Lane 25 because I wanted to provide opportunities for youth in under-served communities to engage in meaningful and creative ways with digital technology.
What does it mean to pave a digital pathway? Is this something people can do in their daily lives?
To pave a digital pathway means equipping people with knowledge and skills in digital technologies that will help them build steps towards their goals. This is something everyone can do and it is not exclusive to any industry, as the saying goes; there are many roads to success. I aim to help youth feel like they are a step closer to developing their talent, reaching their goals or discovering new interests.
Talk us through one of your workshops from the beginning to the end. Do you find it a little harder or easier to do these things than most people realize?
On day one, students explore their own passion and purpose and come up with ideas with their team. They explore goals and create a plan for what each student hopes to achieve by the end of the workshop. Story is a central part of the workshop because storytelling is such a powerful form of communication. Whether told through a short film, animation or song, the participants start to explore the tools available to share their story in a digital format. Working together, they come up with a plan and prepare for production on day two. The participants get access to tools and support in order to create their digital visions. This is harder than most people may realise because each participant is unique and they come with different stories and backgrounds and differing levels of experience with digital technology so I have to balance all of that and still guide them towards something achievable in the timeframe. Participants work in groups and share workstations with video and audio production software. This can also be a challenge when there are not enough workstations for each group. On the third and final day of the workshop, the students have a mini screening where they can watch and/or listen to their own creations. This part of the workshop is really fulfilling- coming in with minimal experience but with so much ambition and belief in themselves, I can only imagine what people could achieve given more access to these simple tools.
Have your goals changed from when you first had the initial idea for Lane25 to the present day? If so, did they change in ways you expected?
When I started Lane 25 I hoped it would become a model for others to follow. My aim was to empower youth by equipping them with the skills to innovate and create using digital technologies.
While the workshops have rewarding outcomes, I found that the students were unable to continue producing once the workshops were over. This has been difficult because once the duration of the workshops ends, the access to the technology does too. I am trying to find ways to help youth continue with their creative endeavors, whether it be making a short film or producing a song, by finding accessible tools that they can utilise. I also don’t want them to associate accessibility with only having sub-standard options. I want Lane25 to help under-served communities to have access to top-notch digital tools that are alongside the best in the world.
What’s next for Lane25? Is there anything exciting you’re doing or anything you’d like to do in the future?
The workshops I teach include audio production as a skill for self expression and storytelling. As a part of the workshops, I want to teach the students how to manipulate audio using various DAW applications. From my research and reviews, Baby Audio offers exceptional and easy to learn plugins that will help my students to understand sound and get a good grasp on how to create their own projects with confidence. The goal is that through accessible creative tools, youth can strengthen their voice on online platforms. I also appreciate how Baby Audio has the freebie offers which make audio production more accessible to marginalised youth, making music production accessible for learners from all backgrounds. I hope to be able to share the wider range of tools Baby Audio have and to empower the next generation of creatives with new and exciting skills for their futures.
For the people that are interested, where can they find more information about getting involved with you and your project?
If anyone wants to get involved with Lane25 or wants more information, it can be found on the Lane25 website. If anyone wants to get in contact they can reach out to me through LinkedIn or the contact form on my website.
LINKS:
Learn more about Lane 25
Learn more about BABY Audio’s Grants For Good Program