Lift Løvstakken

Children & youth

Sep 22

Written By Annikken Grieg Sæthre

Who: Give Music a Chance Norway

What: “Løft Løvstakken”

Where: Bergen, Norway

Project period: 2026-2029

About the project

Løft Løvstakken is a three-year weekly cultural programme for children and youth aged 10–18 at Ny-Krohnborg school and in the Løvstakken district of Bergen. Led by Aldin Duratovic and Yamina Saoula, with project follow-up by Ole Kristian Einarsen, the initiative responds to documented social challenges in a neighbourhood with strong cultural diversity but limited access to organised leisure activities and professional creative mentors — factors that increase the risk of social exclusion and limited future prospects.

Each weekly session runs four parallel modules: music and artist development through songwriting and identity work in a professional studio with Jonas Kjeldsen; instrumental tuition in guitar and piano led by musician and educator Martin Meneilly, with instruments available for home loan through GMAC; dance and movement sessions with Yamina Saoula featuring both international and Nordic traditions with guest instructors; and entrepreneurship workshops where Aldin Duratovic guides participants through project development, collaboration, economics and ownership, tailored to creative and cultural contexts.

Local role models including Leo Ajkic and Kamelen are also invited to share their own stories of growing up in Løvstakken and how their journeys can inspire young people in the neighbourhood.

A shared meal is a deliberate part of every session, drawing on the cultural backgrounds of participants and the dance traditions featured. Local chefs — including Middag med Godfrey, Den Bosniske Nomaden and Sveins Grill — prepare food alongside the young people, building curiosity and pride in culinary heritage and connecting cultures and generations.

Participants are actively involved in planning and evaluation, and the programme culminates annually in public showcases including at Løvstakkdagene. Participation is free and lowthreshold, with recruitment through schools, SFO, and community outreach. The model is designed with replication in mind, aiming to transfer it to comparable neighbourhoods across Bergen.

About the organization

Give Music a Chance – Norway (GMAC) is a non-profit organisation based in Bergen dedicated to making music accessible to children and young people on the West Coast of Norway. The organisation collects and repairs used musical instruments for social and inclusive initiatives, gathering equipment from collection points including BIR's recycling centers, Bergen Public Library, and their own premises at Strandgaten 62.

An instrument bank enables direct loans to young people between the ages of 13 and 24, while repair workshops serve as open meeting places for sharing skills and promoting a sustainable repair culture. Give Music a Chance Programmes include courses in guitar, piano, songwriting and music production, a walk-in music room where youth can play and create after school, free concerts, open stage, and guitar-building courses using recycled parts.

By giving new life to used instruments and making music accessible to everyone, GMAC bridges the gap between sustainability and cultural development — ensuring that economic background is never a barrier to musical participation.