Boston-based tech company Wasabi Technologies is partnering with the soccer team Liverpool FC to launch "Red Hot Beats," a community mental-health program for youth designed around the game of soccer and the power of music.
The Red Hot Beats program will engage with young people from six community centers across the Northern England county of Merseyside, which includes Liverpool, who are struggling with their mental health. The program will provide them with tools to learn a variety of well-being skills, through the use of music, arts, and sports.
“Music combined with art therapy helps to improve mood and cognitive function of participants. This combined with LFC Foundation’s expertise in delivering high quality sport and football programmes will help to improve overall emotional expression, communication and interpersonal skills, self-esteem, and have a positive impact on quality of life,” said Matt Parish, CEO of the LFC Foundation, over email.
David Friend, philanthropist and co-founder of Wasabi, is a well-known Boston entrepreneur with a passion for music. Wasabi is the John Henry–owned club's official cloud storage partner, and is helping fund and supporting the new initiative alongside the LFC foundation. The program is supported by the Fenway Sports Group, which owns both Liverpool FC and the Boston Red Sox.
“The program is designed to improve emotional expression, communication and interpersonal skills of youth, which has an impact on self esteem and a positive impact on the quality of life,” Julie Barry, Wasabi Technologies VP of global brand and communications told the BBJ.
Barry said that she estimates the program will serve about 500 young people. The program kicks off this week and is expected to last four to six weeks.
“It's important for any organization to have a corporate social responsibility, and that is what we are doing,” Barry said.
Wasabi is no stranger to partnering with sports teams, including the Boston Red Sox and the Boston Bruins. Most recently, the company aligned with regional sports cable network NESN for title sponsorship of the Wasabi Fenway Studio, prominently featured on Red Sox broadcasts.
— Meera Raman is an ACBJ reporting intern.
