Lifesongs Homecoming Campaign

Lifesongs is an intergenerational arts project and a celebration of the human journey through music, poetry and dance. Lifesongs provides opportunities for meaningful and creative exchange between people of different ages, genders, race and life experiences, fostering communities of care and restoring dignity through stories and connection. Through intergenerational collaboration, transformative storytelling, and community capacity building, Lifesongs focuses on systemic and sustainable change and seeks to answer the question of how we as individuals can see each other through our differences and build compassionate communities.

Since its beginnings in 2007, Lifesongs’ multigenerational collaborations have included work with elderly Veterans. This year’s Lifesongs concert, Homecoming: Songs and Stories of Service, will be the first focused solely on the stories of our elder Veterans from past conflicts. Lifesongs Director Acushla Bastible explains,

“Our concert includes the words Homecoming and Service because this is a space of welcome. In our conversations with Veterans, we were struck by how many rarely, if ever, feel safe or welcome to share their experiences: the camaraderie enjoyed or the isolation endured, what they saw or were compelled to do in combat, the acts of courage and the times of great fear, the horrors and the losses, and finally the challenge of returning ‘home.”

Our intention in lifting up Veteran stories is to honor our brothers and sisters who have served and creating a safe space to help them feel welcome and ‘home.’ By listening deeply to these songs and stories, we validate Veterans’ experiences and stories. Ultimately, this increases our capacity to care for one another and enhances our collective wellbeing.

We are incredibly grateful to the generosity of supporters for this year’s work with Veterans, and we are looking to continue the important work of lifting Veteran voices by engaging with those who were active in both current and past conflicts and strengthen the alchemy of intergenerational creative exchange among New Mexico’s Veteran community.

We invite you to help us reach our goal of $10,000 by contributing by October 26th and joining us at Homecoming: Songs and Stories of Service. We thank you for your generosity in lifting our Veterans’ stories and helping to create more inclusive, compassionate communities.


Donate Here


Photo of This Deeper Love: Lifesongs in Concert 2017 by Don Usner

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