“[Beat Builders] showed me that I wasn’t here by myself, I wasn’t going through it alone.”

Right out of jail and at a low point in his life, Jelani came to Beat Builders after his probation officer referred him. Music has always been an incredibly important part of his life, allowing him to connect with his Trinidadian heritage. Jelani moved to Canada at 16 from Trinidad and Tobago, where music is integral to the culture. He had to completely start his life over, leaving behind everyone and everything he knew. Clinging to any positive thing in his life at the time, because they were few and far between, Jelani jumped on the opportunity to join Beat Builders.

His first time at the program, Jelani thought that it was too good to be true. His guard was up, but he let down those walls as he got to know the other youth and Fernie staff. “These people were just like me and going through similar things to what I was going through at the same time. We had space to relate.” he explained, talking about how Beat Builders is a safe space for him, where he knows he won’t be judged based on his past.

“I don’t care what you were doing before, and I don’t care what you’re about to do after.

Just come here, do what you’re supposed to do, and we’ll take care of you.”

Over time, Jelani experienced firsthand the commitment our staff have to our youth. They met him where he was at and kept the promises they made to him, providing a consistency that had been missing in Jelani’s life. The trust that they built allowed Jelani to fully commit to the program, and his own personal development.

“They all offered more than I expected from the program. I didn’t expect it to be this fruitful.”

Each of our staff offered Jelani something different, depending on what he needed in the moment. Whether it was advice, help with writing lyrics, or just someone to crack jokes with, he always had someone to turn to. With that support, he fully embraced his passion for music, realizing that he wants to become an audio engineer someday.

Our in-house audio engineer took Jelani under his wing, teaching him the behind the scenes work that goes into music production. There are a multitude of programs that he’ll have to learn, but Jelani is returning to Beat Builders to go through the program a second time and learn all that he can.

“I feel like I’m on the path I’m supposed to be on”

Currently, Jelani is working on creating his own music and experimenting with as many different styles as possible. He’s excited about how much he’s going to learn again at Beat Builders and the possibility of going to school to become an audio engineer once it’s finished. “After I joined Beat Builders it felt like everything I was trying to manifest started lining itself up for me to knock it over,” he explains, reflecting on how much his life has changed since joining the program.

A shining example of what trusting, consistent relationships with mentors can do for youth, everyone at Fernie is so proud of Jelani. Our team can’t wait to hear what music he’s going to make next and see where his passion is going to take him in the future.