Jellyfish Project returning to Coast schools

A homegrown initiative that combines music and education to inspire youth is coming back to the Sunshine Coast.

It’s the first time The Jellyfish Project will be presenting at Sunshine Coast schools since the late Daniel Kingsbury and his band, Mindil Beach Markets, performed at Elphinstone and Chatelech secondary schools in 2012.

Kingsbury’s passion for music and the environment converged in The Jellyfish Project, which his band founded in 2011. Events combine musical performance and education to inform youth about environmental issues.

Prior to Kingsbury’s death in 2015, the band gave 80 free performances at schools. “It was a unique situation with Daniel and the guys; it was a labour of love and passion,” said Kingsbury’s mother, Bronia. She sits on the board of the organization, and has worked to create a sustainable model for the non-profit, which she said is “still going strong.”

The project now has 225 presentations at schools under its belt, which have reached about 120,000 young people across Canada. The majority of events have been held in B.C. The broader vision, said Bronia, is to have bands performing regionally across the country.

Most bookings are made through ArtStarts, a charitable organization that assists with funding artistic presentations at schools through grants.

The Sunshine Coast performances are unique, however, because they are paid for through the money raised through the Daniel Kingsbury Memorial 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament, which has been organized annually by Tony Dill, a close friend of Daniel’s.

“We’ve raised all this money over the last four tournaments and we just want to give back to the community because of their support of the project,” Bronia said. “The original band, they were brought up in this community.”

Victoria-based band Carmanah has been appearing with the project since 2014 and will be performing at the Sunshine Coast schools. The performances include about a half hour of music followed by a slideshow and narration.

“We’re also very aware that some kids are feeling depressed. They’re anxious about what’s going on, climate-wise,” Bronia said, and to combat that, the presentations have evolved to provide ways children can get involved, “so that they feel like they are doing something, so it empowers them.” That could mean letter-writing campaigns to politicians or joining initiatives already in place at their school or community, she said.

Presentations will be held for students at Elphinstone Secondary the morning of Feb. 4, at Chatelech Secondary School the morning of Feb. 5 and at Pender Harbour Secondary School in the afternoon. The project is also travelling to Powell River’s Brooks Secondary for a performance on Feb. 6.