GoodKids Academy Programme uses bucket drumming to support youth mental health

The GoodKids Academy Programme is preparing a group of boys at Sivananda Boys’ Home in Batu Caves, Malaysia, for a Deepavali performance using plastic pails and wooden sticks.

Naaraayini Balasubramaniam coordinates the sessions, where children from various ages learn to create harmonious rhythms. The initiative focuses on building mental and emotional strength for young people who may face educational and social limitations.

While the programme previously emphasized performing arts like acting, it now prioritizes bucket drumming to help participants regulate their emotions and express feelings they might struggle to put into words. Naaraayini founded the programme in 2016 with her father, Balasubramaniam Somasundaram, and her cousin, Koggelavani Muniandy. They established GoodKids Malaysia after Balasubramaniam realized that traditional counseling alone was insufficient for the emotional needs of the boys at the home.

The programme now operates at about four centres across the country to help youth build confidence and independence. The current group includes about 30 boys from primary and secondary schools who attend drumming sessions every Friday night. These participants have spent nearly a year preparing for a performance that will take place after the Deepavali festival.

The programme relies on funding to provide free counseling and activities, and the team continues to seek sponsors to acquire more paint buckets for the students to use as instruments.